Beau Lamarre-Condon trial: Ex-cop’s admissions about shootings revealed during first days in witness box

After sitting in the dock for seven weeks as prosecutors brought their case against him, Beau Lamarre-Condon was this week given the chance to tell his version of the events that left couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies dead.

Mr Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of a man he briefly dated and his new partner, arguing self-defence in his murder trial in the NSW Supreme Court.

The courtroom and upstairs gallery were full with the couple’s loved ones, journalists and dozens of members of the public as Mr Lamarre-Condon spent his first two days in the witness box.

The former police officer wiped his eyes and choked up through parts of his evidence in chief about the shootings, but appeared less emotive when peppered with questions about it by Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield.

Mr Lamarre-Condon told the jury he donned an Uber Eats rider disguise and had his NSW Police pistol when he entered the Paddington home of TV presenter Mr Baird on February 19, 2024.

He told the jury he’d gone to the house to retrieve his Cartier ring and Casablanca shirts apparently worth upwards of $25,000, but“froze” when he saw Mr Baird inside.

He claimed Mr Baird was holding a knife in one hand and tape in the other.

Quizzed on why he didn’t think to run out the door, Mr Lamarre-Condon told the jury the TV presenter would have easily caught him which “would have caused more of a drama because he can stab a knife in my back”.

“You had some practice at evading him, didn’t you?” Mr Hatfield asked.

“I did, and that was a very different situation when he was asleep,” Mr Lamarre-Condon replied.

“You’d outrun him once before, hadn’t you?” Mr Hatfield pressed.

“Correct,” the accused killer replied.

Mr Lamarre-Condon told the jury he had gone into Mr Baird’s home on August 17, 2023 while the journalist slept, intending to go through his mobile phone to check if he was seeing anyone else.

But the TV presenter woke during the ordeal and chased the man - whom he did not realise was Mr Lamarre-Condon - out of his house.

“I did panic and I had a split second decision … do I want to sit here and have a conversation with Jesse for the next hour?” Mr Lamarre-Condon told the jury.

Mr Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to a break and enter charge related to the incident.

Prosecutors allege he broke in using a key he stole and left a bobby pin in the door to make it look as though it was a regular break in.

Accused killer says first shot was ‘right call’

Mr Lamarre-Condon told the court he did not deny shooting Mr Baird on February 19, but said he did so fearing his own safety.

He told the jury he was of “clear mind” when he fired the first shot into Mr Baird’s shoulder during a struggle, saying he went into “police mode”, as he feared the man was going to drive the knife into his throat and kill him.

“I made the right call … if I didn’t, Mr Crown, you’d be sitting here today interrogating Mr Baird,” he said.

Mr Lamarre-Condon said both he and Mr Baird fell during the incident, and it was at this time that he “accidentally” shot him a second time.

“It was my fault … I’ve said from the start I am guilty of manslaughter and I am responsible for his death, but it wasn’t intentional,” he said.

Mr Lamarre-Condon tried to plead guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Baird only, but it was rejected by prosecutors in front of jurors at the beginning of the trial.

He claims Mr Davies got hold of his police gun as it had been flung into another room, and that he accidentally shot himself during a second struggle in the hallway.

Cop’s ‘dark humour’ body bag joke before alleged murders

The accused killer admitted to making a “dark humour” joke about a surfboard bag he purchased reminding him of a “body bag”, days before he is accused of putting Mr Baird and Mr Davies’ bodies in that very surfboard bag, as well as a second one that he purchased after their deaths.

Mr Lamarre-Condon also testified how he had sent messages from Mr Baird’s phone after his death, cleaned blood inside the house, and dumped the couple’s things in a skip bin in Cronulla.

Mr Lamarre-Condon’s Bunnings trip the day after he is accused of murdering a Sydney couple has been revealed on CCTV released by a court.

He told the jury he later tried to sink their bodies in a dam at a farm at Cella Farm on February 21.

He claimed his friend, known for legal reasons by the pseudonym Elizabeth Kennedy, helped him by cutting slits into the bag containing Mr Davies’ body to let air in as it would not sink even with concrete he had mixed and poured into the bag.

Mr Lamarre-Condon eventually gave up, drove Ms Kennedy home, and later dumped their bodies outside the fence line of a Greek monastery about 20km away from the farm.

He said Ms Kennedy later begged him to tell police she wasn’t involved, but the woman told the jury during her evidence that she had no idea the couple’s bodies were in the van Mr Lamarre-Condon had driven her to the farm in, and that she waited at the farm’s fence the whole time.

‘Tit for tat’: Cop’s act to alleged victim’s car

Mr Lamarre-Condon was also asked about an incident where he is alleged to have poured water into Mr Baird’s car’s petrol tank.

He claimed his mother, Coleen, had seen scratches on his Tesla after what she believed to be a car similar to Mr Baird’s drove past on November 18, 2023, and believing Mr Baird had done this to his car, Mr Lamarre-Condon admitted he poured water in the TV presenter’s petrol tank.

“I know tit for tat isn’t right, but I did go to Jesse’s street … and poured water in the petrol tank,” he told the court.

Ms Kennedy earlier testified in court that Mr Lamarre-Condon laughed when he saw a social media post about Mr Baird’s car breaking down at a later point.

“He felt satisfied, like he’d ruined his trip,” she told the jury.

Accused killer read journalist’s texts with other man

Mr Lamarre-Condon also admitted to reading through Mr Baird’s messages with another man in April 2023, telling the jury he saw a message come up after the TV presenter gave him his phone and went to have a shower.

Days later, the former police officer told Mr Baird he saw the messages and was “very upset” as he thought they were on track to become a “couple”.

Mr Baird started crying and said he “wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone” as he had recently got out of a long-term relationship, and the pair broke up amicably, Mr Lamarre-Condon said.

The former police officer confirmed during his evidence that their relationship was never exclusive.

Mr Hatfield will continue his cross examination on Monday when Mr Lamarre-Condon returns to the witness box.