The trial of former New South Wales police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon continued this week, with a former friend giving evidence about a road trip during which the prosecution alleges he disposed of the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
Lamarre-Condon, 31, is standing trial accused of shooting Baird and his partner, Davies, with a police-issued firearm at Baird’s Paddington home on 19 February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter.
Friend testifies about road trip to farm in Bungonia
A witness identified under the pseudonym “Elizabeth Kennedy” told the court that days after the two men had been shot, Lamarre-Condon asked her to accompany him on a trip to the Goulburn region in a hired white van.
Jurors were told Kennedy contacted a lawyer upon returning to Sydney and later provided an induced statement to police. The arrangement protects that evidence from being used against her in court. She has not been charged with any offences.
Kennedy testified that during the journey to Goulburn and nearby Bungonia, Lamarre-Condon kept the van’s windows open while also running the air-conditioning. She described a “lemony” smell inside the vehicle and said there was a blue tarpaulin in the rear.
She also claimed Lamarre-Condon played Taylor Swift’s No Body, No Crime during the trip. Kennedy told the court she believed they were meeting for lunch when he picked her up two days after the alleged murders.
Defence barrister John Stratton SC suggested Kennedy knew the bodies of Baird and Davies were inside the van and alleged that Lamarre-Condon had shown her Baird’s body beneath the tarpaulin. Kennedy denied those allegations.
The court heard the pair stopped in Goulburn and purchased an angle grinder from Bunnings. Kennedy alleged Lamarre-Condon told her they were travelling to assist friends whose animals needed attention while they were away from their property.
A statement from a Bunnings staff member, read to the court, said two customers claimed they had locked themselves out of a friend’s property in Bungonia.
Kennedy told the jury she remained at the property’s gate while Lamarre-Condon entered the farm for 30 to 40 minutes. She alleged he asked her to cover the van’s number plates with plastic bags, which she refused to do.
She said she suspected he was “up to something” and began experiencing a panic attack.
The witness further alleged Lamarre-Condon later remarked that he would need to return to the property but would not explain why. On the drive back to Sydney, she said he avoided toll roads despite there being shorter routes available.
The court has previously heard the bodies of Baird and Davies were found in bushland near a monastery eight days after the alleged murders. The location was approximately 15 minutes from the property visited by Lamarre-Condon and Kennedy.
Prosecutors allege Lamarre-Condon became infatuated with and stalked Baird after an on-and-off casual relationship between late 2022 and November 2023. They allege that in February 2024 he broke into Baird’s home and fatally shot both Baird and Davies.
The defence denies murder and argues Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defence. His legal team claims Baird’s death occurred accidentally during a struggle and alleges Davies was fatally wounded during a separate confrontation involving the firearm.
The defence does not dispute that Lamarre-Condon later cleaned the scene and moved the bodies. Lawyers for the accused say he panicked because, as a police officer, he knew how the circumstances would appear to investigators.
Male friend tells of alleged plans to buy a silencer, trips to national park with firearm, and claims of killing on the day of the shootings.
Later in the week, the court heard evidence from another friend whose identity has been suppressed. He told the jury Lamarre-Condon visited him at work on the day of the alleged murders and said he had killed two people.
According to the witness, Lamarre-Condon gestured with his hand like a firearm and said “pew pew” when asked how it happened.
The witness alleged Lamarre-Condon later said: “I shot the first one through the head and the second one through the door.”
He further claimed Lamarre-Condon said he had only intended to shoot one person but “couldn’t leave any witnesses”.
The friend told the court Lamarre-Condon sought help to “clean up the mess”. He instead informed his workplace supervisor and later distanced himself from further involvement.
The witness alleged Lamarre-Condon later alternated between claiming the story was a joke and insisting it was true.
The following day they had dinner together, where Lamarre-Condon allegedly spoke about disposing of bloodied clothing and remarked: “I didn’t realise bodies would be heavy.”
The court heard the pair later visited a skip bin in Cronulla. Police became concerned for Baird and Davies after blood-stained items linked to the couple were discovered there.
The witness also alleged that during a trip to Bali in 2023, Lamarre-Condon discussed buying a silencer for a firearm, and they had attempted to locate a gun shop but had been unsuccessful.
Back in Sydney, he claimed Lamarre-Condon took him to a national park, produced a police firearm and asked him to monitor a police radio while shots were fired into bushland.
According to the witness, Lamarre-Condon questioned whether a firearm discharge inside a house would be less noticeable.
The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.
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