Trial Hears of Alleged Confession and Instagram Messages in Baird-Davies Murders
Witnesses recount a conversation about hiding a body and unusual social media activity following the disappearance of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
A murder trial has heard testimony detailing an alleged confession made by Beau Lamarre-Condon to a friend about killing two men and hiding their bodies, as well as unusual activity on social media accounts belonging to one of the victims.
During proceedings on Monday, Georgia Cook, a former friend of Lamarre-Condon, testified that on May 29, 2023, he arrived at a Thai restaurant and immediately asked if she would help him "hide the body." According to Cook, Lamarre-Condon claimed to know how to dispose of bodies, stating he would take their belongings, dump them in dumpsters, and hide them in bushland where they would never be found. Cook told the court she would "never forget" his words.
Prosecutors allege that Jesse Baird, 26, and his partner Luke Davies, 29, were killed around 9 a.m. on February 19, 2024. Lamarre-Condon, a senior constable at the time, has been charged with their murders.
Daniel Hart, a friend of Luke Davies, testified that he received messages from Jesse Baird's Instagram account after the pair had gone missing. Hart had dinner with Baird and Davies on February 18, 2024, the night before they were allegedly murdered. The following morning, Hart attempted to contact Davies via text message, but the message was not delivered. He then tried Instagram, but received no reply.
On the evening of February 20, Hart messaged Baird's account asking about Davies's whereabouts. The response he received stated: "Hello haha he did smash his phone screen Monday so I don’t know if he’s got that fixed yet." The next morning, Hart replied, noting his messages had not been delivering. Later that afternoon, Hart sent another message to Baird's account, stating that police had found Luke's wallet, were contacting his mother, and that people were concerned about his absence. No response was received, and subsequent calls to Baird's phone went unanswered.
Detective Senior Constable Alistair Wright testified that on February 21, 2024, he and a colleague visited Baird's home in Paddington. At the time, Baird and Davies were considered missing, and their bodies had not yet been discovered. Body-worn camera footage showed officers knocking on Baird's door, where a cleaner answered and stated the tenants were not home. The cleaner informed police she had been hired to clean the residence because Baird was supposed to have moved out that day.
Kate McKinley, a former colleague of Lamarre-Condon, testified that he was "jealous" and "pissed off" when Baird began dating Davies. On February 22, 2024, three days after the alleged murders, McKinley sent Lamarre-Condon a Facebook message containing a link to an article, asking, "Please tell me this isn’t your ex-lover??" Lamarre-Condon did not respond.
Prosecutors allege that the bodies of Baird and Davies were discovered in two surfboard bags at a rural property in Bungonia, more than 100 miles from Sydney.