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Jury shown video of police test shot in Lamarre-Condon murder trial

Ballistics expert says original shot was fired 5 to 10 centimetres from bedroom door

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
The jury in Beau Lamarre-Condon's murder trial has been shown video of NSW Police firing a test shot into the bedroom door of one of the alleged victims, in an attempt to establish how the fatal shooting occurred. Lamarre-Condon, 31, is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court on two counts of murder over the shooting deaths of Sydney couple Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, in Paddington on February 19, 2024.

The court has heard that police discovered a hole in Baird's bedroom door in July this year, more than two years after the alleged murders. The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon shot Davies through the door while Davies tried to call Triple Zero for help, and that a "very muffled" gunshot can be heard on that call.

Police ballistics expert Lucas Van Der Walt gave evidence on Wednesday that officers removed the door from Baird's former share house and fired a test shot into it in July. A video of that test shot, including a side-by-side comparison of the original hole and the test hole, was played to the jury.

Van Der Walt said both holes measured approximately 10 millimetres in diameter, with a "very similar spread pattern of the propellant particles impacting with the paint and the wood in the door". He said the original shot would have been discharged at a distance of between five and ten centimetres from the door.

Prosecutors allege the original hole was not visible in 2024 because Lamarre-Condon covered it with a stick-on hook on the inside of the door and a felt pad on the outside. NSW Police Senior Sergeant Bronwyn Lansley, the lead forensic investigator at the property, has previously told the court she observed that "repairs had been made both to external and internal sides of the door", where she believed the pad and hook had been located.

The former NSW police officer has pleaded not guilty to both murder charges.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The trial tests whether the Crown can prove exactly how the killings unfolded, and the door shot is central to its account of Davies's final moments.
  • The case has drawn public attention because the accused is a former NSW Police officer who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.
  • The jury's assessment of the test shot may determine whether the prosecution's reconstruction of the shooting is accepted.

Background

Lamarre-Condon is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court over the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in the inner-Sydney suburb of Paddington. The court has heard that police discovered a hole in Baird's bedroom door in July this year, more than two years after the alleged murders, and that the hole was not visible in 2024 because it was covered by a stick-on hook and a felt pad.

Key Perspectives

Crown prosecutors: Allege Lamarre-Condon shot Davies through the closed bedroom door while Davies was trying to call Triple Zero, and that a muffled gunshot is audible on the call. The test shot evidence is presented as corroboration of that account. Defence: Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to both charges. The defence can be expected to test whether the reconstruction accurately replicates the conditions of the original shot. Ballistics expert: Lucas Van Der Walt testified that the original and test holes were both about 10 millimetres in diameter with a similar pattern of propellant particles, indicating the original shot was fired from between five and ten centimetres from the door.

What to Watch

  • Whether the defence calls its own forensic evidence questioning the reliability of the test shot.
  • Further evidence about the Triple Zero call and whether the jury accepts it captures the shooting.
  • How the trial progresses and when the jury is expected to retire to consider its verdicts.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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