A former police officer has told a Sydney court that he fatally shot two men while acting in self-defence, claiming a struggle over his service weapon resulted in their deaths. Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, is accused of killing Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, at Baird's Paddington home on 19 February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter.
The trial began on 21 September 2026 before Justice Natalie Adams at the NSW Supreme Court, with a jury of 15 assembled comprising nine men and six women. The proceedings are expected to run for approximately 12 weeks.
What does the defence claim happened?
Lamarre-Condon's defence lawyer, John Stratton SC, presented the account to the jury on Tuesday that his client entered Baird's residence disguised as an Uber Eats driver, wearing a motorcycle helmet and using a key provided by the 26-year-old. When Baird failed to recognise Lamarre-Condon, a physical altercation erupted in which Baird was killed, Stratton told the court.
According to the defence narrative, Lamarre-Condon's firearm was then thrown across the room, and Davies retrieved it. Lamarre-Condon then seized Davies by the arm and pushed the weapon towards him. During the ensuing struggle, Davies pulled the trigger and shot himself, the court was told.
It's his case that what he did was self-defence. [He was] understandably panicked. He was a police officer and he knew this looked bad.
Stratton explained that his client's subsequent actions—cleaning the crime scene and concealing evidence—stemmed from panic rather than guilt of premeditated murder.
What is the prosecution's case?
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC outlined a starkly different narrative on Tuesday, alleging that Lamarre-Condon deliberately murdered both men and then concealed their bodies. The prosecution claims he entered Baird's house using a stolen key before shooting the 26-year-old twice and firing at Davies through a bedroom door.
Audio recordings of the three gunshots were played to the courtroom, with the first two occurring in rapid succession and the third following 51 seconds later. Family members of Baird and Davies wept as they listened to the recording.
According to Hatfield, immediately after the shootings, Lamarre-Condon began cleaning the crime scene and relocated the bodies. He then confided in a friend about what he had done. When the friend questioned whether he was serious, Lamarre-Condon responded:
I wish I was, I don't feel like it was me … I feel like I need some help, this job has fucked me up.
When asked how he had committed the killings, Lamarre-Condon allegedly answered
with a gunwhile making a hand gesture and saying
pew pew. The friend declined to assist him.
How did the bodies come to be discovered?
Days after the initial purchase of a surfboard bag, Lamarre-Condon bought a second one, the jury heard. He returned to Baird's residence that afternoon before one of Baird's housemates arrived home.
She did notice the two surfboard bags which, at this stage, were in the back courtyard. She will tell you what she thought was rust [was] seeping out from the bags. She took a photo and sent it to her housemate but didn't realise at the time that the bags contained two bodies.
A photograph showing outdoor furniture with a pool of blood was presented to the court on Tuesday.
Hatfield told the jury that Lamarre-Condon subsequently purchased a bag of quick-set concrete and weights, then transported the bags to a dam near Goulburn. He mixed the concrete and placed it into the bags along with the weights in an unsuccessful attempt to submerge the bodies. The bodies were later moved to a fence line near a monastery in Bungonia, where they were discovered eight days after the killings.
What is the prosecution's motive theory?
On Monday, Hatfield alleged that Lamarre-Condon had developed an
infatuation and obsessionwith Baird, which manifested in compulsive behaviour that intensified after Baird ended their brief relationship. The Crown opened by alleging Lamarre-Condon used his police position to stalk Jesse Baird before planning the killings, and the prosecution alleged the shooting of Baird was execution-style in opening remarks.
Earlier reporting indicated that Lamarre-Condon had previously told the court he would plead guilty to a lesser manslaughter charge, but the Crown rejected that position. The case has also involved separate allegations that he misused his police role to monitor Baird's communications and activities before the alleged killings.
What happens next?
The trial resumed on 22 September 2026, with the jury continuing to hear evidence from the Crown's case. Given the expected 12-week duration of proceedings, a verdict is not anticipated in the immediate term. Justice Natalie Adams will oversee the continuation of the trial as both the prosecution and defence present their full cases to the jury.
