Police reveal timeline of alleged murder by Beau Lamarre-Condon of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird
Police have revealed the full chronology of events in the alleged murders of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
In a NSW police conference on Monday, senior officials outlined the chronology of the alleged murder of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird.
Read below to see how detectives believed the crime happened, along with what we know about alleged perpetrator Beau Lamarre-Condon.
Prior to Friday, February 16
A break in a Baird’s home address once before the alleged murder in late August 2023 is now being investigated by police.
Some reports have claimed Baird reported the break in to Bondi Police Station and disclosed to his friends that he was allegedly being stalked by Constable Lamarre-Condon.
“We believe that the accused had attended Jesse’s home address,” Deputy Commissioner Hudson told media.
“We believe that he had utilised a key to enter those premises. We believe he took possession of Jesse’s phone and deleted contacts and messages out of that phone before leaving the premises.”
Police believe Baird and Constable Lamarre-Condon were in an on-again-off-again relationship at that stage. It has also been claimed by Baird’s former partner, Corey-Dean Thorpe, that the pair were never in a relationship, and that Baird had cut off contact with Lamarre-Condon when the constable posted material online suggesting they were romantically involved.
Friday, February 16
On Friday February 16, Constable Lamarre-Condon is said to have signed out his service weapon, a Glock handgun, from Miranda Police Station. He is said to have claimed it was for use in a ‘user pays’ overtime shift at a pro-Palestine rally on February 18 in Sydney.
Sunday, February 18
Ex-TV host Jesse Baird and his boyfriend, flight attendant Luke Davies, were last seen attending a Mardi Gras party at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills in Sydney’s inner-east on Sunday night, February 18.
Lamarre-Condon was on shift, working at a protest rally.
Monday, February 19
Lamarre-Condon is believed to be on shift when he is alleged to have broken in to Baird’s home in Paddington, where neighbours heard “one to several” gunshots, but did not report it at the time. Police forensics have not determined the exact number of shots fired.
At about 9.54am a very brief triple-zero call was made from Davies’ phone, but is alleged the call disconnected without any words spoken.
Lamarre-Condon is alleged to have murdered Baird and Davies some time between 12.30am and 5.30pm with his service weapon.
At 9:30pm it is understood that Lamarre-Condon rented a white Toyota HiAce in Mascot.
Tuesday, February 20
Lamarre-Condon was rostered on to work, but called in sick.
Police claim Lamarre-Condon made a partial admission of guilt to a friend, which was not reported to police until after the investigation began.
Lamarre-Condon allegedly sent text messages from Baird’s phone to his housemates, claiming that he was moving to Perth and providing them with instructions regarding his furniture.
The gun allegedly used to shoot the couple was checked back in by Lamarre-Condon to Balmain police station later that day.
Wednesday, February 21
Bloodied possessions thought to belong to Baird and Davies were found just after 11am in a skip bin almost 30 km south of Paddington, in Cronulla.
At about 1pm officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command attended Baird’s Paddington home, establishing a crime scene where it is alleged they found indications of blood and “signs of struggle”.
Lamarre-Condon is said to have travelled to Bungonia in the rented van. During this trip, police claim he enlisted the help of a friend without divulging his alleged actions prior. NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Hudson said that Lamarre-Condon was on allocated leave that Wednesday.
He is said to have purchased an angle grinder and padlock from a department store en route, which he later is alleged to have used to break into a property on which the two dams being investigated are located.
It is believed the acquaintance was left at the top of the property for a period of 30 minutes, while Lamarre-Condon took the HiAce van, returning to pick up the acquaintance, where it is understood they returned to Sydney later that afternoon.
Police allege he returned to the property that evening and may have relocated or further obscured the bodies of Baird and Davies. Police claim his motivation for this came from suspicions that his associate was partially aware of the intention behind the trip to the Bungonia property.
At about 11pm it is alleged that Lamarre-Condon purchased weights from a department store and returned to the property along with torches.
Thursday, February 22
Lamarre-Condon left Bungonia again at 4:30am, before arriving in Newcastle where he cleaned the van at a friend’s residence using a hose.
It is understood this friend, who is accused of no wrongdoing, was NSW police officer Renee Fortuna.
There is a significant period of time here where Lamarre-Condon’s whereabouts and actions are not known. It is understood he was on sick leave from work.
Police established a crime scene at the Baird residence on Brown Street in Paddington and on Thursday night, raided the home of Lamarre-Condon’s mother.
Friday, February 23
Lamarre-Condon is said to have left Newcastle at 5am and returned to Sydney, where he surrendered himself to police at Bondi Police Station and was charged with two counts of murder.
At 3pm the white Toyota HiAce was located by police in Grays Point, South Sydney.
Lamarre-Condon appeared at Waverley courtroom around 3.30pm on Friday. He was not granted bail.
Police divers searched waterways near Newcastle for the bodies of Baird and Davies, focusing on the suburb of Lambton, 160km away from the scene of the alleged murder.
Sunday, February 25
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb issued a release just after 2:15pm stating that the case still had “many unanswered questions” but appealed to the community for “patience as the police work to determine what happened”.
A crime scene was established at Bungonia, in the Southern Tablelands, after the rental van was traced to the location, with divers called to search a dam.
Lamarre-Condon continued to refuse to be interviewed by police, acting on legal advice.
Monday, February 26
At 7am police resumed searching the dam and nearby areas in Bungonia but left the site in the midafternoon after finding no trace of the bodies.
Tuesday, February 27
Ms Webb told the media on Tuesday that police divers had concluded their investigation of the two Bungonia dams. While police do not believe the bodies of Baird and Davies are in the Goulburn area, officers are still sweeping the region for evidence.
An additional crime scene was established in Gray’s Point, Lamarre-Condon’s childhood suburb, on Tuesday morning after a local dog-walker found patches of blood at Gray’s Point oval.
More Coverage
Tributes keep flowing as teen’s body is found
The 15-year-old’s body is being recovered by emergency responders after he was swept off a rock shelf at North Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast.
Police scale back search for 15-year-old swept off rocks
Police say the search for a 15-year-old Scots College student hit by a wave and swept off the rocks at North Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast has been scaled back as it enters a recovery phase.