Police say Jesse Baird’s friends were concerned about Beau Lamarre-Condon following break-up
Family and friends of former Ten reporter Jesse Baird have told police they were deeply concerned about Beau Lamarre-Condon’s behaviour following their break-up. On Friday Lamarre-Condon was charged with murdering Baird and his new partner.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TV reporter Jesse Baird’s break-up with police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon just a few months ago should have marked the end of their relationship — but several people still held major concerns, according to police.
Baird’s family and friends have told police they had become deeply concerned by the 28-year-old police officer’s behaviour towards the ex-Studio Ten reporter after the break-up.
However they never reported it to the police.
On Friday, Lamarre-Condon handed himself into Bondi Police Station at 10.30am before being charged with murdering Baird, 26, and his current boyfriend, 29-year-old Qantas flight attendant, Luke Davies.
Detectives allege Lamarre-Condon — a constable who joined the police force in 2019 — killed the two men inside Baird’s Paddington terrace house in the daylight hours on Monday before using a hire van to dispose of the bodies.
Homicide Commander Danny Doherty said it would be alleged Lamarre-Condon’s police issued Glock pistol had been fired inside the Brown St property, which was raided by police on Wednesday. It is understood Lamarre-Condon may have been on duty at the time of the alleged incident.
“We found a projectile and a case that matches a police firearm,” Det Supt Doherty said. “And that firearm belongs to the 28-year-old man (Lamarre-Condon) who has been charged …”
Bizarrely, Lamarre-Condon’s weapon was checked back into a firearm safe at a suburban police station after the alleged murder.
“That’s where we found it,” Det Supt Doherty said.
“The actual police firearm has been seized and will be examined.”
The detective did not answer questions about the alleged motive.
“But obviously it has been documented that the 28-year-old man facing the charges was in a relationship with Jesse that finished a couple of months ago, and so that will be an obvious line of inquiry,” he said.
He said it will be alleged Lamarre-Condon was “the sole person responsible”.
“However we will still keep an open mind about anyone else,” the detective said.
The 28-year-old, who once found fame as a celebrity chaser and posed for photos with Miley Cyrus, faced Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon.
Lamarre-Condon’s charges — two counts of murder — were read out to him and he said nothing.
He was wearing a black T-shirt and had no supporters in court.
The police officer’s Legal Aid lawyer did not apply for bail and his case was adjourned.
Police will allege in court that Lamarre-Condon rented a white Toyota HiAce van from Mascot at 9pm on Monday and used it to dump the bodies of the two men.
Both are still missing, and Lamarre-Condon has not “co-operated with police”, Det Supt Doherty said.
“It is very important that we locate the bodies (to establish) the cause of death and get answers for the family, they are still grieving…,” Det Supt Doherty said.
“They are obviously devastated by the news.
“It is a very tough day for them.”
The challenge now for police is to form a timeline of events to uncover how the two men met their fate, and police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
“A lot of information has come to hand and there is a lot of evidence that hasn’t been (examined),” Det Supt Doherty said.
“That includes phone data, vehicle movements and, most importantly, trying to locate the bodies.
“We are trying to provide those answers to the family and they are obviously devastated.”
Police will allege in court that Lamarre-Condon drove the van south of Sydney and dumped Davies’ blood stained clothes and other items belonging to Baird in a skip bin outside Club Cronulla on Wilbar Ave.
What initially started as a missing persons investigation quickly became a homicide inquiry when the blood-soaked items were found on Wednesday.
Police then rushed to Baird’s Paddington home, where a large amount of blood was discovered along with the spent bullet and casing from Lamarre-Condon’s pistol.
It will also be alleged in court that Lamarre-Condon drove to a house in Lambton, near Newcastle, on Thursday night, where the van was parked and possibly cleared out.
Police taped off a large area near Tathra and Karoola Rds on Friday while investigators combed the scene.
Det Supt Doherty said Lamarre-Condon spent Thursday night in the Newcastle area before driving to Grays Point, which is where police found the van on Friday.
It is understood Lamarre-Condon was staying at a relative’s house in Southern Sydney while police were in contact with a family member before the 28-year-old officer handed himself in.
Had Lamarre-Condon not handed himself in, police had a plan in place to take him by force.
Det Supt Doherty said Baird and Lamarre-Condon’s relationship was an “obvious line of inquiry” despite there being no complaints on the police record.
There (were) no warning flags to us in relation to his behaviour or relationship breakdown,” he said.
But he added that it has since “been documented that there was some worrying behaviour that has been alleged by family and friends.”
“But that was never reported to police,” he said.
The investigations evolved and moved quickly after the gruesome discoveries on Wednesday.
“There is a lot of other evidence that we can’t go into,” he said.
Det Supt Doherty said Lamarre-Condon worked in a “specialist team” for the NSW Police but would not reveal which one.
Lamarre-Condon was rostered on duty this week but did not turn up for work on Tuesday or Wednesday.
A triple-0 call was made on Monday but police are yet to establish who made the call.
The 28-year-old will face the Downing Centre Local Court on April 23.
‘INSTA-OFFICIAL’ JUST 2 WEEKS AGO
By Jonathon Moran
It was a short-lived romance that ended in tragedy.
Luke Davies and Jesse Baird had been dating for just a short while when their lives came to an end.
They’d gone “Instagram official” just a fortnight ago, with Davies sharing an image of the pair shirtless at Sydney’s Palm Beach lighthouse. In the caption, Qantas international flight attendant Davies wrote: “Perfect start to a long weekend”.
That weekend the pair enjoyed a getaway to the Hunter Valley, where Baird shared his first snaps of them together.
“You look like I need a wine,” he captioned the six images, that included a hit of tennis and time at Brokenhood Wines.
Friends when contacted by The Saturday Telegraph confirmed they met in January.
Baird, 26, worked at morning show Studio 10 until the end of last year, having moved to Sydney and set up home in Paddington from Brisbane in October 2022. He previously worked as a presenter on Totally Wild! and Gamify!
Baird was also an AFL umpire yet failed to turn up for the match simulation between the Swans and Greater Western Sydney on Thursday at 10am at Moore Park.
“The AFL has contacted his family and offered support and has also offered counselling to Jesse’s colleagues and the wider AFL football department,” an AFL spokesperson said this week.
Davies, 29, moved to Sydney under four months ago, also from Brisbane. He lived in Waterloo. Qantas also said it was offering support to colleagues and the men’s families.
The couple were last seen together publicly at The Beresford on Sunday.
Friends took to the couple’s Instagram to share their grief, writing messages on their most recent posts.
For Baird, that was an image as they enjoyed the celebrations at Pink’s recent Summer Carnival show at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
“This is so devastating,” wrote Greg Fitzgerald. “My love goes out to all the loved ones of these two. Breaks my heart.”
Another wrote: “So sad. Two beautiful souls.”
Got a news tip? Email weekendtele@news.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as Police say Jesse Baird’s friends were concerned about Beau Lamarre-Condon following break-up
Viral bishop defends free speech against new laws
The outspoken bishop stabbed at the pulpit for his political views has panned new misinformation laws.
Near miss: Track-hopping roos saved from oncoming train
A quick-thinking rail employee saved two kangaroos when he noticed them hopping along the tracks at a Sydney station as an oncoming train approached. Watch the video.