Beau Lamarre-Condon asked a friend he met through celebrity-chasing to dispose of a mobile phone the day after the alleged murders of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, the NSW Supreme Court has heard. Lamarre-Condon, 31, a former NSW police officer, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.
A West Australian woman told the court she met Lamarre-Condon in Sydney in 2010 outside the then CBD studio of Seven's Sunrise program in Martin Place. "We used to go to Sunrise and if there was a star on that day, we'd wait out the front, try to get a photo with them," she said. She and Lamarre-Condon "had a bit of a fascination" for celebrities and "used to try to get photos".
She told the court the accused posted on social media after tracking down Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker when they visited Sydney, and she messaged him about it on February 16, 2024. "I always wondered how he got so close to them," she said. "I commented on it the day it was posted. He was just walking with them in their circle."
The woman said she and Lamarre-Condon also had similar views on COVID-19, and she was opposed to "the injections and whatnot". "I used to go to protests ... I just asked him how police officers can stand there and push back against people who are just fighting for our freedoms," she said. "He just told me it was the devil's work."
The court heard Lamarre-Condon messaged her on Instagram on February 12, 2024, and said they should switch to the encrypted messaging app, Signal. The woman said he messaged her on February 20, the day after the alleged murders, saying: "Are you free for a quick call?" She said they subsequently spoke on the phone and he "asked me if I could do him a favour".
"He told me that he'd stolen some police files from the commissioner to do with COVID and he wanted me to get rid of a phone," she said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The trial concerns the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, and the evidence goes to the accused's conduct in the days around the alleged murders.
- The testimony describes an attempt to dispose of a mobile phone, which the prosecution may use to show consciousness of guilt.
- The case raises questions about the conduct of a serving police officer and the circumstances of the alleged killings.
Background
Beau Lamarre-Condon, a former NSW Police officer, is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court on two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Jesse Baird, 26, a former TV presenter, and Luke Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant, on February 19, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty. The trial is being heard before a jury, and witnesses are giving evidence about Lamarre-Condon's movements and communications before and after the alleged murders.
Key Perspectives
The prosecution: The evidence from the woman is part of the Crown case linking Lamarre-Condon to attempts to conceal evidence after the alleged murders. The request to dispose of a phone, made the day after the shooting deaths, is consistent with the prosecution's allegation that he sought to cover up his involvement.
The defence: Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty, and his defence team has not yet been reported making submissions about this evidence. The woman's account is one part of a larger body of evidence, and the defence will have the opportunity to test her credibility and the reliability of her recollection.
Critics/Skeptics: The woman's evidence is uncorroborated on the phone request and comes from someone who shared the accused's interest in celebrity-chasing and held similar views on COVID-19. The court will need to weigh her credibility, and the defence may seek to highlight inconsistencies or question her motives.
What to Watch
- Further evidence about the phone: whether the woman disposed of it, what happened to it, and whether police recovered it.
- Whether other witnesses corroborate the woman's account of Lamarre-Condon's movements and communications in the days after February 19, 2024.
- The strength of the prosecution's overall circumstantial case, including any forensic or electronic evidence linking Lamarre-Condon to the alleged murders.