Accused Murderer Claims Friend Encouraged Him Not to Surrender to Police

In court on Tuesday, accused murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon claimed he told his childhood friend that he wanted to turn himself in for the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, but was convinced not to. Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC read one of Lamarre-Condon's police statements to the court.

Lamarre-Condon's statement alleges he contacted his friend, known pseudonymously as Elizabeth Kennedy for court reporting, via the encrypted messaging app Signal on February 20, 2024, the day after Baird and Davies were reportedly killed. He stated he confessed to Ms. Kennedy, informing her that Baird and Davies were dead and asking for advice on whether to go to the police.

According to Lamarre-Condon's statement, Ms. Kennedy advised him against contacting the police, asserting that no one would believe him, citing her viewing of crime documentaries. He claims she offered to assist him the following day. Lamarre-Condon then reportedly purchased gloves, overalls, face masks, concrete, and bin bags from Bunnings.

Lamarre-Condon stated he arrived at Ms. Kennedy's home around 3 p.m. the next afternoon and told her, "This is serious - if you don't want to help me, I won't be mad." He claimed to have then opened the door of his rented Toyota HiAce van to show her Baird's deceased head.

"[Elizabeth] covered her mouth and was walking back and forth, saying 'Oh my God I saw his head'," his statement read. "I started crying and saying, 'I should just go to the police now'."

He alleged that Ms. Kennedy compared the situation to the Taylor Swift song "No Body, No Crime" and that he warned her of potential accessory charges. Lamarre-Condon further claimed Ms. Kennedy was an active participant in hiding the bodies, helping him cover the van's license plates, changing into overalls, donning gloves, assisting in opening a locked gate, and attempting to sink the bodies in a dam.

His statement said Ms. Kennedy stabbed holes in a surfboard bag containing Davies' body to make it sink. When this failed, he reported that she "started freaking out." Lamarre-Condon stated he told her he would take her home, and "it'll be like we were never here."

Lamarre-Condon maintained that Ms. Kennedy never expressed unwillingness to help but later became concerned he might implicate her when he indicated a desire to surrender to police. He claimed Ms. Kennedy pleaded with him not to tell the police about her involvement.

In his statement, Lamarre-Condon stated he told Ms. Kennedy he intended to tell the police the truth and would be unable to lie under oath if the case went to court.

Ms. Kennedy provided evidence last week, acknowledging her presence with Lamarre-Condon at Bungonia but asserting she was unaware of any deceased bodies in the van.

On the morning of February 23, 2024, Lamarre-Condon also contacted an internal NSW Police helpline and filed a workplace injury form for mental health. Before detailing his complaint, he informed the phone operator, "So you're not shocked, my name is Beau Lamarre." At that time, Lamarre-Condon was a wanted suspect for the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, which occurred four days earlier on February 19. The operator reportedly did not immediately recognize his name and requested confirmation of the spelling. Lamarre-Condon claimed to have "symptoms of schizophrenia" resulting from bullying while filing the complaint, but subsequently retracted the comment.