A clear “disconnect” emerged early in Beau Lamarre-Condon’s brief relationship with Jesse Baird, with the two men apparently wanting very different things.
Lamarre-Condon, a senior constable with the NSW Police, told friends he believed Baird was “the one”. Baird, however, did not share those feelings, the court heard.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC outlined that assessment to jurors on Monday, as Lamarre-Condon’s double-murder trial began in the NSW Supreme Court.
Lamarre-Condon is accused of using his service pistol to kill Baird and Baird’s Qantas flight attendant boyfriend, Luke Davies, at Paddington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in February 2024.
The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two charges of domestic-violence-related murder, as well as aggravated break and enter.
The break-and-enter charge concerns an alleged August 2023 incident, when Lamarre-Condon is accused of entering Baird’s home six months before the killings and taking his wallet and phone.
Mr Hatfield presented Lamarre-Condon as a jealous former partner who became infatuated with Baird. Following their separation, the prosecutor said, he was “devastated” and allegedly grew increasingly fixated on him.
Jurors will hear evidence of what Mr Hatfield described as Lamarre-Condon’s “melodramatic” behaviour, including allegations that he pretended to have cancer and fabricated hospital visits.
A “disconnect” was evident from the early stages of Beau Lamarre-Condon’s brief relationship with Jesse Baird, the court heard. Lamarre-Condon is pictured outside court on Monday
Lamarre-Condon is accused of killing Jesse Baird (left) and his Qantas flight attendant boyfriend Luke Davies (right) in Paddington, Sydney’s eastern suburbs, in February 2024
Lamarre-Condon and Baird met in late 2022, and the police officer soon became “infatuated” and “in love”, the court was told.
Baird, by contrast, had recently ended a long-term relationship, moved to Sydney and was enjoying dating within the city’s lively gay community.
At the time, Lamarre-Condon worked in the police youth command at Sutherland in Sydney’s south and had served as a police officer for about six and a half years.
Baird grew up in Victoria before relocating to Queensland. He began working in television at 19 and appeared on Network Ten programs including Totally Wild and Studio 10.
Mr Hatfield alleged that Lamarre-Condon was jealous of Baird’s other relationships and secretly accessed his phone to track his conversations with other men.
He also allegedly erased messages from Baird’s phone and blocked several of his friends.
That pattern of alleged conduct would be “a theme throughout the trial”, Mr Hatfield told the jury.
The couple initially separated amicably in April 2023, after Baird sent Lamarre-Condon a “sympathetic” message ending their relationship.
Lamarre-Condon, pictured outside court on Monday, has pleaded not guilty to two domestic-violence-related murder charges and one count of aggravated break and enter
Lamarre-Condon allegedly entered Baird’s home with a copied or stolen key while carrying his .40 Glock 22, shot Baird (right) and then turned the weapon on Davies (left)
‘After a lot of reflection, I really want to message you and tell you how I feel…,’ he wrote.
‘Something I have been nervous about since meeting you was one of us getting hurt. And despite my best efforts, it happened. Please forgive me.’
Baird wrote that part of him was ‘hoping that you’ll understand where I’m at in my life right now’. He was also ‘afraid that this would happen, getting to a point where we have to stop seeing each other’.
‘But I don’t regret a single thing because the last few months have been amazing,’ he said. ‘I hope you feel the same. I wish I was ready for a relationship because it’s not every day a guy like you comes around.’
Mr Hatfield said Lamarre-Condon gave friends various explanations for the relationship ending. One was discovering Baird had a Tinder account, another that Baird was moving to Brisbane.
From that point, the court heard, Lamarre-Condon’s jealousy intensified. He allegedly admitted to friends following Baird around the eastern suburbs, ‘bumping into’ him at gyms and supermarkets.
Lamarre-Condon allegedly used his power as a police officer to obtain CCTV of Baird on a date and watched him through the front window of his Paddington home having sex with other men.
In August 2023, he allegedly used a stolen or copied key to enter the terrace and steal Baird’s phone but also took his wallet and left a bobby pin in the front door lock to make it look like a real burglary.
Lamarre-Condon and Baird met in late 2022 and the policeman was quickly ‘infatuated’ and ‘in love’, the court heart. Baird’s parents Helen and Gary are pictured on Monday outside court
Baird had chased the intruder from his house but did not recognise his former boyfriend.
In September that year, Lamarre-Condon and Baird resumed their relationship to some degree.
Lamarre-Condon asked Baird to holiday with him in Bali but that did not happen. Mr Hatfield said Baird saw things between the pair as mostly ‘physical’.
The final break-up came in mid-November 2023 after Baird allegedly found out Lamarre-Condon had accessed his phone and deleted messages.
Lamarre-Condon had also allegedly posted a picture of a ‘rather large floral arrangement’ to social media using the Instagram feature ‘Close Friends’.
Mr Hatfield said the picture of the flowers was captioned ‘When he’s in Melbourne but still sends you these’, at a time when Baird was in Melbourne but hadn’t sent them.
Lamarre-Condon had allegedly ensured Baird and his close friends could not see the picture – which had been downloaded from the internet – but people Lamarre-Condon chose could.
When Baird confronted Lamarre-Condon about the post he allegedly said it was all a misunderstanding and the flowers had been a gift from his stepfather to his mother.
Lamarre-Condon was working in the police youth command at Sutherland, in Sydney’s south, and had been a cop for about six-and-a-half years when Baird and Davies were killed
Mr Hatfield said Lamarre-Condon then rushed to a florist and ordered a bouquet matching the floral arrangement in the photograph and wrote a fake note to fit his story.
Baird sent Lamarre a text on November 16 which began: ‘Beau, I’m not going to get into an argument with you.’
‘I’m so exhausted,’ he wrote. ‘On top of that, I feel hurt and feel like I’m being lied to. This afternoon, I gave you the chance to tell me the truth and I don’t think you did.
‘There have been a number of examples since we met that show you behaved in a way that’s completely inappropriate. I’m not going to stand for it anymore.
‘I think it’s best if we focus on ourselves and stop seeing each other. I have thought long and hard about this, and know that it’s the right decision for me.
‘I would appreciate if you could refrain from contacting me.’
Lamarre-Condon responded, in part: ‘Jesse, I’m literally sitting here in tears, trying to piece this all together… ‘
On November 22, Lamarre-Condon allegedly persuaded a friend to let him use her Instagram account to write a message to Baird, who had blocked him.
Baird and Davies met on New Year’s Eve 2023 and a solid relationship developed quickly. Davies’s mother Sandra and brother Brock are pictured on Monday outside court
Mr Hatfield said that message – which ran to more than 1,600 words – was intended to blame Lamarre-Condon’s behaviour on him receiving treatment for cancer.
‘About a month ago, Beau asked me to go with him to Westmead Hospital where he was told he had cancer in his shoulder,’ it said.
‘Worst case is he has to get his arm amputated. He was then prescribed medications to prepare for chemotherapy and radiation before his cancer removal surgery.’
The message said those medications were ‘among the strongest you can be prescribed which can impact how a person reacts’.
Mr Hatfield told the jury: ‘The accused did not have cancer, nor was he being treated for cancer.’
Baird and Davies met about a month later on New Year’s Eve and a solid relationship soon developed.
Shortly after they got together, Baird took Davies to Victoria to meet his mother and within a month or so both were posting photos with each other on Instagram.
Mr Hatfield said: ‘I’m told that’s called going Insta official.’
Lamarre-Condon is pictured leaving court on Monday. His trial has been set down to run for three months
Lamarre-Condon became aware of this new romance and allegedly complained to friends that Baird was taking Davies to places they had been together.
Mr Hatfield said in late 2023 and early 2024 Lamarre-Condon ‘began to interfere with Jesse Baird’s life in other ways’.
He allegedly claimed to have cut Baird’s car tyres, watched his house and poured water into his new diesel ute.
According to the Crown case, Lamarre-Condon drove to Baird’s home on February 19, 2024, arriving about 6am.
He was allegedly seen at 9.10am wearing a motorcycle helmet and hi-vis clothing and carrying an Uber Eats paper bag, disguising himself as a delivery rider.
Lamarre-Condon allegedly used a copied or stolen key to enter Baird’s home armed with his .40 Glock 22, went to the kitchen and shot 26-year-old Baird twice.
Mr Hatfield said one bullet went through the right base of Baird’s neck near his shoulder and exited through his jaw. Another shot went in Baird’s right temple and exited through the left.
‘The Crown case is that this second shot was an execution-style shot and went through the floor,’ Mr Hatfield said.
The court heard 29-year-old Davies was in Baird’s bedroom and attempted to call Triple Zero.
‘In order to prevent Davies from calling for help and exposing his crime,’ Mr Hatfield said, Lamarre-Condon shot Davies in the head through the bedroom door.
Lamarre-Condon presented himself to Bondi police station four days later. Four days after that, Davies and Baird’s bodies were found about 185km south-west of Sydney at Bungonia.
The trial continues.
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