Trial begins for ex-officer accused of double murder disguised as delivery rider

A trial began Monday at the New South Wales Supreme Court for Beau Lamarre-Condon, a 31-year-old former police officer accused of murdering Jesse Baird, 26, and Baird's partner Luke Davies, 29, in February 2024. Lamarre-Condon pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter. His offer to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter was rejected by prosecutors.

Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield told the jury panel that Baird and Lamarre-Condon had been in a romantic relationship from late 2022 into 2023, but Baird cut off all contact in November 2023. According to the prosecution, Lamarre-Condon developed an "infatuation and obsession" with Baird that led to compulsive behaviour, which intensified after the relationship ended.

Alleged planning and the killings

Prosecutors allege that in early 2024 Lamarre-Condon began planning the murder, researching ways to muffle gunfire, hiring a car under his mother's name, and buying a surfboard bag to dispose of a body. He also kept his police-issued firearm despite having no operational need for it.

On 19 February 2024, prosecutors say, Lamarre-Condon entered Baird's home in Paddington using a key he had previously obtained, disguised as an Uber Eats delivery rider and wearing a motorcycle helmet. He allegedly shot Baird twice in the kitchen before going to the bedroom and shooting Davies. The two men's bodies were found in Bungonia, nearly 200km away, eight days later. The prosecution says Lamarre-Condon had earlier tried unsuccessfully to sink the bodies in a nearby dam.

The courtroom was full on Monday with members of the public, media and relatives of the victims, including their mothers and siblings. A jury has now been empanelled, and the trial is expected to run for another two to three months.