Messages exchanged by Jesse Baird’s housemates reveal their frustration over his home habits, including watching Survivor shirtless on the lounge with his boyfriend, leaving toothpaste upside down and allegedly placing furniture on the footpath outside.
The women did not know at the time that Baird, 26, and his partner, Luke Davies, 29, had allegedly been killed inside their shared home in Paddington, Sydney. The couple’s bodies were later found in surfboard bags in the rear courtyard.
The text exchanges between the two housemates, who cannot be publicly identified and are referred to as Belinda Smith and Sarah King, were tendered in the NSW Supreme Court this week during Beau Lamarre-Condon’s double murder trial.
Lamarre-Condon, a former police officer, has pleaded not guilty to two domestic violence-related murder charges arising from the alleged shooting deaths of Baird and Davies on February 19, 2024.
He has also denied an aggravated break-and-enter charge relating to an alleged August 2023 incident in which he entered the Paddington property and stole Baird’s phone and wallet.
The messages between Smith and King were sent from January 29 to February 21, 2024.
The court heard that Baird became “upset” after being asked to leave the property on January 26, telling his housemates: “I deserve better than this.”
Smith told the court the request was driven by concerns about cleanliness, although that was not explained directly to Baird. Instead, the housemates told him they wanted a female friend to move into the home.
In a message sent on January 26, Smith referred to someone Baird had invited to the Paddington terrace, writing: “Omg he has someone over. On the couch.”
Luke Davies pictured with Jesse Baird
Beau Lamarre-Condon, who is accused of killing Baird and Davies
A mock-up of a text message from Belinda Smith to Sarah King, Baird’s two housemates
Baird was again the subject of discussion on February 6, when Smith messaged: “They’ve plugged back in the TV lol.”
King responded: “Stop it!!!!!”
Smith then added: “And taken everything off the couch. Topless again. On the couch watching Survivor.”
The evening before the alleged killings, on February 18, King wrote: “I need to text tonight.”
Smith replied: “Cool. I just got screened. He walked through the living room to get outside not through the kitchen cos I was standing there hahaha.
“Then proceeds to bring [SIC] mans over 30 minutes later.”
King answered with a long string of laughter: “Hahahahahhahahahahhaha.”
Smith told the court that “screened” meant Baird had ignored her, while “bring mans over” referred to him inviting a male guest to the property.
Pictured: A mock-up of texts from Belinda Smith to Sarah King about their then-housemate, Jesse Baird
Pictured: A mock-up of a text from Belinda Smith to Sarah King about Jesse Baird
Pictured: A mock-up of a text from Belinda Smith to Sarah King
On the morning of February 19, at the time of the alleged murders, Ms Smith said: ‘Mans using my toothpaste.’
Ms King said: ‘Excuse me.’
Ms Smith continued: ‘It was upside down in my jar.’
As though telling Baird she knew he used her toothpaste, she wrote: ‘I SEE YOU.’
This text exchange took place between 7.40am and 9.48am, by which time they’d both left for work. The court heard Baird and Davies were allegedly killed between about 9.30am and 10am that morning.
Ms Smith told the court this week that she had spent the night of February 18 cleaning the house for their new housemate, who was supposed to arrive after Baird moved out on February 20. She had washed the cushion covers and hung them outside to dry.
When she got home from work on February 19, the clothes rack was pushed up against the back door, and the pillowcases were covered in dirt.
She texted Ms King, saying: ‘I don’t know what he’s done but it looks like the cushion covers were dragged through the [f***ing] mud. Rewashing them all now.’
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Pictured: A mock-up of a text from Sarah King to Jesse Baird
Pictured: A mock-up of a text from Belinda Smith to Sarah King
Ms Smith told the court she assumed Baird was responsible for the dirty washing.
She also took a photo of a pool of red liquid oozing from underneath surfboard bags and a blue tarp in the rear courtyard. She thought it was a pool of liquid rust from outdoor furniture and sent the photo to Ms King.
The court heard the red liquid was blood and the bodies of Baird and Davies were allegedly hidden in the surfboard bags, under the tarp. Ms Smith and Ms King had no idea.
Ms King replied to the photo, saying: ‘What the actual f***.’
By February 21, Ms Smith and Ms King were angry with Baird because they thought he’d left his possessions all over the house when he was supposed to have moved out a day earlier.
At that point, they had no way of knowing Baird was dead because they were still receiving texts from his number about his supposed plans to road trip to Perth and hire someone on Airtasker to remove the rest of his belongings.
At 6.45am that morning, Ms Smith texted Ms King, saying: ‘If you don’t want to undo his bed I reckon get an Airtasker in this morning and we slap him with a fat bill.;
‘Also do we say he needs to get his s**t out the front removed because the next council clean up isn’t until June… AND GIVE BACK YOUR KEYS.’
Pictured: A mock-up of a text from Belinda Smith to Sarah King
Further texts between the trio, released by the court, showed Ms King texted Baird at 6.56am – immediately after Ms Smith’s last message.
That message read: ‘Jesse, you will need to drop your keys over before you leave. Your belongings in the fridge, cupboard and bathroom need to be cleared out along with your bed.
‘Additionally rather than illegally dumping your furniture on the street organise a trash removalist. If you can’t manage to do this I will pay someone to do it and it will come out of your bond.’
After sending the message to Baird, she wrote to Ms Smith: ‘BHahahahahahahhaha.’
She said it took her a while to write the message because she was furious. She wrote: ‘I’ve seen red’.
Ms Smith replied: ‘I’m laughing. ILLEGALLY DUMPED. He’s even left his toothbrush and all his toiletries. BIN.’
Ms King pointed out that councils can fine anyone who dumps furniture on the pavement, and that she had checked before messaging Baird.
At 8.01am, Ms Smith said to Ms King: ‘I’ve thrown out everything in the fridge and pantry and taken his tent outside. I think all that’s left is his bed and all his toiletries in the bathroom cupboard.
Beau Lamarre-Condon is pictured on a holiday with Jesse Baird during their short-lived relationship
Pictured: The home Belinda Smith, Sarah King and Jesse Baird shared before he was allegedly killed at the property on February 19, 2024
‘Sorry I couldn’t be there to help today! Let me know how it goes xx.’
Ms King replied: ‘Bless you!!! You really didn’t have to do that you’re a working class girl! I can’t wait for our place to be clean!!!.
‘I’m clearing everything out of the bathroom so it can be empty for the cleaner but I’ll put it back tonight /tomorrow! Full detox.’
The court heard Ms King had organised for a cleaner to arrive the following morning, on February 22 at 10am.
The cleaners were at the property when police arrived and declared the house a crime scene.
By that stage, the surfboard bags, tarp and blood were gone from the back courtyard. Ms Smith and Ms King thought Baird had cleaned it up.
Baird and Davies’ bodies were discovered in Bungonia, about 180km south of Sydney, on February 27.
Prosecutors allege Lamarre-Condon was ‘obsessed’ with Baird and couldn’t accept the end of their relationship, which was on-off between late-2022 and mid-2023.
The court also released a video of their glamping holiday together in 2023.
The trial continues at 10am on Tuesday.
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