By Ben Cubby
Police have charged Beau Lamarre-Condon with the murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, but much remains unknown about what happened between midnight on Monday and 10.30am on Friday when Lamarre-Condon handed himself in at Bondi police station. Here are some of the critical questions police are seeking to answer:
Beau Lamarre-Condon in police custody on Friday.Credit: NSW Police
Where are Jesse Baird and Luke Davies’ bodies?
Lamarre-Condon has not told police where the bodies of the two young men are, and it is unclear if he has admitted to any role in their deaths. Investigations are focused on the movements of a white van allegedly hired by Lamarre-Condon in Mascot at 9.30pm on Monday, after the murders were allegedly committed at Baird’s home in Brown Street, Paddington. Toll points, traffic cameras, mobile phone towers and GPS data are being checked to trace where Lamarre-Condon allegedly travelled after leaving Paddington. Personal effects and bloodied items belonging to Baird and Davies were placed in a skip bin in Cronulla and discovered on Wednesday morning.
People grieve outside the house in Paddington where police allege Jesse Baird and Luke Davies were murdered.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
What happened at the alleged murder scene?
Police say they have matched a projectile found at the Paddington home to Lamarre-Condon’s Glock service pistol. The gun was allegedly returned to a locker at a police station after being fired. There was a large amount of blood in the house and signs of struggle, including overturned furniture. Police allege the weapon was fired in the house, but the causes of death are yet to be established. Investigators allege there was an attempt to clean the house after the men died. It is unclear how Lamarre-Condon could have taken a service pistol home or whether it was noticed that a bullet was allegedly missing when he returned it.
What was Lamarre-Condon doing between Monday and Thursday?
Police allege that after Lamarre-Condon rented the white van, he drove it to the Sutherland Shire and threw some of the dead men’s belongings into the skip bin not far from Cronulla police station. He did not report for duty on Tuesday or Wednesday. Baird’s friends also claim they were receiving texts from Baird’s phone until well after 11pm on Tuesday, suggesting, police believe, that Lamarre-Condon may have kept and used his phone. Police believe Lamarre-Condon may have been hiding at a relative’s house in Balmain until news of the deaths started breaking on Thursday afternoon.
What happened in Newcastle?
On Thursday, police allege Lamarre-Condon drove the white van to the Newcastle suburb of Lambton. Police seized CCTV footage from Club Lambton on Karoola Road that showed the white van parked on the road overnight. A witness who saw the parked vehicle said it was gone by 2am. Early on Friday Lamarre-Condon allegedly drove back to Sydney, where the van was discovered in Grays Point in the Sutherland Shire, before handing himself in.
Police searched a street in Lambton in connection with the disappearances of Baird and Davies.Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald
What happens next?
The families of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies are awaiting news on the whereabouts of their loved ones. Police are questioning Lamarre-Condon in an attempt to reveal that information as they continue to investigate his movements. The crime scenes declared at Lambton and Grays Point are now closed. Lamarre-Condon did not make a bail application at Waverley Local Court on Friday, and his matter was next set down for April 23 in Downing Centre Local Court.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.