Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon to be charged with murder over missing TV star Jesse Baird and boyfriend Luke Davies
The cop charged with murdering former TV reporter Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies inside a Paddington home this week has appeared in court, as detectives locate the missing white van allegedly used to transport the bodies.
NSW
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The police officer charged with murdering former TV reporter Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies inside a Paddington home this week has appeared in court for the first time.
Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, 29, sat quietly in the dock of Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon, just hours after handing himself in at Bondi Police Station.
Wearing a black t-shirt looking up only to acknowledge the magistrate, Lamarre-Condon had no family or friends to support him inside the body of the court.
His lawyer did not apply for bail and his case will be heard next in the Downing Centre Local Court on April 23.
NSW Police constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was this afternoon charged with two counts of murder over the disapparance of Mr Baird, who he had dated in the past, and Mr Davies.
Police will allege the constable, who handed himself in to Bondi Police Station on Friday morning, used his police glock to kill the pair.
Sources say at least one bullet casing was found at the Paddington home that was identified on Wednesday as the initial crime scene in the investigation.
Police believe Lamarre-Condon, who is currently assisting police with their inquires at Waverley Police Station, used a white van he drove to Newcastle to dispose of the bodies.
Officers have been looking for the van and put out a public appeal for information on the whereabouts of a white Toyota HiAce with NSW registration CW82PM.
It is understood to have been located about 3pm.
Lamarre-Condon, a serving NSW Police officer, was on Thursday being sought over the disappearance of his ex-boyfriend Jesse Baird and Baird’s current partner Luke Davies.
After handing himself in on Friday, Lamarre was arrested by police.
A police spokesperson this afternoon told a media conference Lamarre would be charged with two counts of murder and refused bail.
Soon afterwards, is faced Waverley Court, in Sydney’s eastern suburubs, on two counts of murder.
Police said that as well as continuing to search for the white van involved in the case, they are focusing efforts on finding the bodies in order to establish the cause of the alleged deaths.
Police allege that after using his police-issued glock gun, Lamarre checked the weapon back into a gun safe at a suburban police station, where it was found by homicide squad detectives.
The white van was spotted on Monday when it was recorded by a CCTV camera attached to a Paddington house shortly before ex-TV presenter Mr Baird and boyfriend Mr Davies were last seen.
Police allege that after Constable Lamarre-Condon drove the white van near the Paddington home, he then drove it to a house in the Newcastle suburb of Lambton, where it was cleared out.
The sources said police allege the Lambton house belonged to an ex-cop, but it is not known if the person at the house helped with cleaning the van.
It’s understood a tip-off led police to the area.
Police investigating the two men’s disappearance taped off the scene near Club Lambton on Friday morning.
The officers sectioned off a large section of Tathra Rd and Karoola Rd.
A team of investigators concentrated on a grassed area opposite Harry Edwards Oval and marked out a number of spots.
Detectives also canvassed the area and talked to neighbours in a bid to gather more evidence. No arrests or charges have been laid.
Lambton resident Ian Cunningham told The Telegraph he returned from late night shopping about 10pm on Thursday and noticed a white van parked on Tathra Rd.
He said a thin man with dark hair wearing dark clothes got out of the van and walked across the road to Karoola Rd.
“He walked away from the van in the direction of the bowling club,” he said.
Mr Cunningham said the van remained parked there for the next couple of hours but, at about 2am Friday, he noticed it was gone.
CCTV footage near the home of Mr Baird, shortly before he disappeared with his partner, is understood to be the last known sighting of the couple.
The footage appears to show the pair walking around a corner near Mr Baird’s Paddington terrace on Monday night. A white van was then seen driving past the home.
On Thursday night, police raided a Balmain home believed to be connected to Mr Lamarre-Condon and seized a number of items.
Mr Baird, a red carpet reporter on Studio Ten until late last year, has been dating Mr Davies for several months, with the pair posting loved up photos on their social media accounts.
Prior to his current relationship, Mr Baird dated celebrity blogger turned policeman Constable Lamarre-Condon, who is understood to be on sick leave this week.
The investigation into Mr Baird and Mr Davies’ disappearances began on Wednesday morning, when a greenkeeper at a bowling club in Cronulla found a pile of bloodied clothes in a skip, and called police.
Among the clothing was a credit card belonging to Mr Davies, an $8000 watch and some personal items linked to Mr Baird.
Officers rushed to the Paddington terrace of Mr Baird, where they found large amounts of blood and broken furniture, and immediately declared it a crime scene, saying they held grave concerns for the welfare of both men.
There has been no trace of the two men since Monday.
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Originally published as Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon to be charged with murder over missing TV star Jesse Baird and boyfriend Luke Davies