‘While they slept’: Horror backyard claim in alleged double murder

Jesse Baird’s flatmates thought he had split beetroot juice when they returned home and went to sleep - unaware there was horror outside.

Confronting new details about the alleged murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies have come to light.

For the first time it has been revealed that Mr Baird’s flatmates slept at the Paddington terrace where the couple were allegedly murdered — not knowing their bodies were still there, hidden in the backyard.

The couple were allegedly shot at 9:50am Monday last week and flatmates were sent messages from Mr Baird’s phone saying he was moving to Perth.

Channel Seven news reports that when the women arrived home, it seemed dishevelled and they had assumed their TV reporter flatmate had spilt a can of beetroot juice in the backyard.

It was, in fact, blood and it had seeped from a blue tarpaulin lying next to it.

Mr Baird’s flatmates went to bed that night, unaware the couple’s bodies were in the backyard.

Police will allege Beau Lamarre-Condon later returned with surfboard bags and took them to Bungonia.

Huge new claim on alleged double murder

The new details come as a top cop has alleged the murder of Mr Baird was premeditated by Lamarre-Condon but his partner Mr Davies was killed only for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald told Channel Nine news police believe Mr Baird’s murder was planned and targeted.

Police believe Lamarre-Condon was looking for Mr Baird on Monday last week but also found Mr Davies at the Paddington terrace.

“We will be strongly claiming in our case that this murder was premeditated, and the second murder occurred because of unfortunately Luke’s appearance at the house,” Fitzgerald said.

He said detectives claim there’s also evidence of the accused police officer’s behaviour towards Mr Baird escalating in the weeks leading up to the alleged murder.

The couple were allegedly murdered. Picture: Instagram

He is accused of breaking into Mr Baird’s house, keying his car and pouring water into his car’s engine block.

Fitzgerald said police believe the men’s bodies had been left at a different home in Bungonia, in rural NSW, for a day and a half before they were moved to the second location where they were found.

He alleged police were still at the first home in Bungonia and quickly rushed to the second home to uncover the bodies after information was provided to police by Lamarre-Condon at Silverwater jail on Tuesday morning.

“He agreed at the time to show us where the bodies were, he showed those detectives after we acquired a computer ... (for him) to point exactly where the location of the two deceased were,” he told Channel Nine.

Luke Davies (left) and Jesse Baird (right). Picture: Instagram

NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon handed himself into Bondi Police Station on Friday. Picture: Liam Mendes

A manhunt was launched on February 20 after bloodied clothes and items belonging to the young couple were found in a skip bin at Cronulla, 30km away from where they were last seen.

Karen Webb, Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force, said the discovery of the couple’s bodies was made with information provided by Lamarre-Condon.

He had previously refused to cooperate, police claim, but finally did so after advice from a lawyer.

Investigators interviewed him again on Tuesday morning at Silverwater Prison, which is when he revealed their location, police say.

Police found the bodies three hours later, by about 1pm, and within minutes they had informed the families of Mr Baird and Mr Davies.

“The accused finally obtained legal counsel this morning and we were subsequently straight out to jail and asked for his assistance,’ Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald told reporters.

“There was an attempted interview with him [when he was first arrested] but this is the first time he has willingly told us information.”

Lamarre-Condon handed himself in at Bondi Police Station on Friday, before he was arrested and charged with two counts of murder.

Crucial timeline ‘gap’ in alleged murder

The discovery of the bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies could provide a crucial detail in the timeline of events as authorities probe whether Lamarre-Condon accessed a police-issued work computer over the course of the days.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said there was a “gap” in the timeline of Lamarre-Condon’s whereabouts, specifically from 11.30am on Thursday until 8.30pm that day, when he appeared at an acquaintance’s property in Newcastle, was being investigated.

“We are still working through that theory and we are obviously commencing and have undertaken significant inquiries in relation to that,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told reporters earlier.

NSW Police also said there was no information to indicate Mr Lamarre-Condon had used his MobiPol work computer at some point over the timeline of the alleged murder.

“This and all the man’s actions will be looked at as part of the ongoing homicide investigation,” a NSW Police spokesperson told NCA NewsWire.

The bodies have been found in NSW’s Southern Tablelands. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The family was ushered to the crime scene. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Family of Jesse Baird arrive at a crime scene on Jerrara Rd, Bungonia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Officers previously searched two dams at a separate property located about 20 minutes away during the search for the pair’s bodies, but ceased search operations in the water there overnight on Monday.

About five family members of Mr Baird were photographed arriving in two separate cars on Tuesday.

Police seemed surprised by their appearance at the checkpoint and initially asked them to wait.

They were then ushered to the crime scene, out of view of the media.

Some family members were wearing sunglasses and one woman covered her face with her hands as they went past the media.

— with NCA NewsWire