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Jury told Lamarre-Condon visited Bungonia farm before alleged murders

Former Sydney police officer on trial over deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies claims self-defence

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
The NSW Supreme Court jury trying former Sydney police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has been told he previously visited the Bungonia farm where he allegedly tried to sink the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in a dam, months before the couple were killed.

Mr Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and is claiming self-defence during a three-month trial in the NSW Supreme Court. He is accused of shooting Mr Baird and Mr Davies with his police pistol in Mr Baird's Paddington share house in Sydney's east on February 19, 2024.

The bodies of the pair were found near a monastery at Bungonia, south of Sydney, in surfboard bags eight days later. Jurors have also heard Mr Lamarre-Condon is alleged to have initially attempted to sink the bodies at a farm about a 15-minute drive away, using quick-set cement and weights.

On Wednesday the jury heard that Mr Lamarre-Condon matched with a man on the dating app Hinge in March 2023 whose family owned the hobby farm. In a witness statement read to the court, the man said he knew Mr Lamarre-Condon for about nine months after the accused told him to follow him on Instagram.

In September 2023, Mr Lamarre-Condon contacted the man and asked to catch up next time he was in Sydney. The court heard they met for coffee in Glebe and later saw each other again at Westfield Bondi Junction. They saw two movies together, including the Taylor Swift movie, during four or five subsequent catch-ups. In November 2023, Mr Lamarre-Condon invited the witness on a trip to an off-grid cabin, the court was told.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The trial turns on whether the shootings were murder or self-defence, and evidence that Mr Lamarre-Condon allegedly tried to conceal the bodies goes directly to the credibility of that claim.
  • The case involves a former police officer accused of using his service pistol, making it a significant test of police accountability in NSW.
  • The trial is expected to run for three months, and any verdict will draw intense public scrutiny.

Background

Mr Lamarre-Condon is a former NSW police officer charged with the murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who were shot at Mr Baird's Paddington share house on February 19, 2024. Their bodies were found in surfboard bags near a monastery at Bungonia, south of Sydney, eight days later. The defence says the killings were in self-defence; the prosecution alleges murder and an attempt to dispose of the bodies at a nearby farm using quick-set cement and weights.

Key Perspectives

Prosecution: Alleges Mr Lamarre-Condon shot both men with his police pistol and then tried to hide the bodies, first at a farm dam and later near the Bungonia monastery. Defence: Has pleaded not guilty and is running a self-defence case at trial. Critics/Skeptics: The account of a planned disposal of the bodies sits uneasily with an act of self-defence, and the jury will need to decide which version of events it accepts.

What to Watch

  • Whether further witness testimony, including any evidence from the accused, clarifies his movements in the days after the shootings.
  • Whether the prosecution's evidence about the alleged disposal attempts strengthens or weakens as the trial proceeds.
  • The jury's verdict on the two murder counts.

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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