Court hears police colleague messaged accused officer on Instagram after alleged double murder

A jury trial continues in the New South Wales Supreme Court in Sydney, Australia, where police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon is accused of murdering his ex-partner Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, both in their 20s, in an inner-city terrace house on 19 February 2024. On Thursday the court heard evidence about how police tried to reach him after the incident.

The Instagram message

Prosecutors read a statement by Const Hayley Keefe, the accused's colleague and friend. At a crime manager's request, she wrote to his personal Instagram account on 21 February: "Hey hun … can you please contact the crime manager at eastern suburbs asap when you get a chance?" The message stayed unread, and she later deleted it because she felt awkward using her personal social media for work.

The phone call

Police tried unsuccessfully for four days to contact Lamarre-Condon before he turned himself in. In a three-minute phone call on 22 February, he said he wanted to let a detective or sergeant know he was not avoiding them, and that he would come in the next day. He then led officers to a rural property where the bodies of both men were found in surfboard bags.

Earlier testimony

The morning before the alleged murders, the accused messaged a friend, known in court by the pseudonym Fiona Rosso, that he had gotten rid of all social media. Three days after the incident, he arrived at her home crying and saying he had "done something bad", the jury heard. He told her he had put his phone on aeroplane mode when police tried to call. The jury also heard he scrubbed blood from the back of a white van using two buckets.

Charges and defence

The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty. The crown alleges he killed Baird "execution-style" at close range, driven by jealous obsession, and then shot Davies to eliminate a witness. He says he acted in self-defence after entering the terrace to retrieve his belongings. Prosecutors rejected his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter of Baird. The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.