Jesse Baird was asked to leave his Paddington home by his two female housemates after disagreements over the way the property was kept, a court has heard.
One of the housemates, who gave evidence under the pseudonym Belinda Smith for legal reasons, said she had lived with Baird at a larger share house in Drummoyne from 2022.
It was while they were living there that Baird introduced her to Beau Lamarre-Condon, telling her the pair were romantically involved.
When the lease ended, Ms Smith and Baird moved into a property in Brown Street, Paddington, with another female friend, known in court as Sarah King. They moved in on April 1, 2023.
Asked by Crown Prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC whether she and Baird were friends, Ms Smith replied: “We were cordial, but didn’t socialise outside the house.”
She said Baird told her he and Lamarre-Condon had stopped seeing each other in early 2023. However, she saw Lamarre-Condon at the Paddington property in August that year.
During a brief conversation, Lamarre-Condon told her he had booked a New Year’s Eve trip to Bali with “nice accommodation” for himself and Baird.
Messages exchanged between Ms Smith and Ms King were read to the court, including a discussion about Baird’s relationship with Lamarre-Condon. One message said: “Lots to fill you in on, Beau stayed last night lol.”
The reply was: “Just friends though.” The pair also discussed Lamarre-Condon driving Baird to Newcastle to collect a new car, with one housemate commenting: “[Oh my god] just as friends though lol pretty sure Beau lives with his parents.”
Ms Smith said she later asked Baird about the relationship, referring to the Bali trip and suggesting Lamarre-Condon might regard it more seriously than Baird did.
In November 2023, Baird allegedly told Ms Smith that he had woken one night to find Lamarre-Condon going through his phone. Ms Smith said Baird was “very angry”.
The court heard the Paddington lease was due to expire on March 29, 2024. Ms Smith and Ms King wanted to renew it, but planned for another female friend to move in and for Baird to leave.
Asked whether there had been issues with the way the house was kept, Ms Smith replied: “Yes.”
She said Baird was initially upset because he wanted to remain on the lease, but agreed to find alternative accommodation. The conversation took place in January or February 2024, weeks before his death.
“We remained cordial,” Ms Smith told the court.
