Forensic evidence including a missing bullet, blood-stained clothing and DNA recovered from two hire vehicles has been placed before the jury in the murder trial of former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon.
Lamarre-Condon, 31, denies murdering his former partner Jesse Baird and Mr Baird’s new partner, Luke Davies, at a terrace in Sydney’s Paddington in February 2024. He accepts both men were shot with his police pistol.
The second week of the Supreme Court trial has focused on evidence gathered from the house, a skip bin in Cronulla and three vehicles linked to the killings. Fifteen jurors have been shown hundreds of images taken by crime scene investigators.
Evidence from the Paddington house
Senior Sergeant Bronwyn Lansley told the court that officers discovered bullet holes and indentations throughout the terrace, including one located only two months before the trial.
However, no bullet connected to that indentation was found. Defence barrister John Stratton SC questioned whether a projectile could have become lodged in a door before being removed.
“Testing indicates a bullet has exited through that side of the door,” Senior Sergeant Lansley said.
Mr Stratton is advancing a case that Mr Davies was accidentally shot during a struggle with Lamarre-Condon over the officer’s weapon outside a bedroom. He also suggested DNA found on the trigger could have belonged to Mr Davies.
Prosecutors allege instead that Lamarre-Condon deliberately shot Mr Davies through the bedroom door as he attempted to call triple zero after Mr Baird had been killed. The Crown says the second shooting was intended to remove a witness.
The jury heard a recording of the brief emergency call, in which an operator said: “Caller disconnected, no request, I heard a male say, ‘Eff off’, call dropped out.”
Investigators also found biological evidence beneath the flooring. A tarpaulin bearing a stain from pooled blood was recovered below the bedroom, while blood had run down a joist and soaked into the timber.
Under the kitchen, officers found the bullet alleged to have killed Mr Baird, along with impact damage and a small blood stain. Luminol was used throughout the house and the vehicles to identify possible blood staining.
Prosecution and defence cases
The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon arrived armed and heavily disguised with the intention of killing Mr Baird. Prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC said the purchase of two surfboard bags, one before the deaths and one afterwards, pointed to his intentions.
Liquid leaking from bags left in the terrace courtyard was noticed by Mr Baird’s housemate, who believed it was rusty water. The men’s belongings, including four bloodied white flags and AFL-branded clothing, were later found in a Cronulla bowling club skip bin.
Prosecutors also point to a change in vehicles. Lamarre-Condon’s mother hired a mid-sized Mazda SUV the day before the deaths, while he hired a larger Toyota Hiace afterwards. DNA matching both victims was found in both vehicles.
Mr Hatfield said the change suggested Lamarre-Condon needed additional space to transport the bodies after Mr Davies’s death. The Crown alleges the bodies were later taken to Bungonia, about 200 kilometres away.
The defence argues the killings were not planned and that Lamarre-Condon panicked afterwards. “The conduct of the accused after the events … were not the actions of a man who believed he was guilty of murder but a man who panicked considerably,” Mr Stratton said.
“(Lamarre-Condon) never planned to kill or ever cause any harm to anyone at (the house),” he told the jury. “His case was it was in self-defence.”
Prosecutors have also presented evidence about the relationship between Lamarre-Condon and Mr Baird. Witnesses said Mr Baird did not want a long-term relationship, while Lamarre-Condon wanted something more serious.
The jury was shown an edited video made by Lamarre-Condon of a glamping trip the pair took in the Hunter Valley in early 2023. They dated for several months, briefly reunited in September and stopped speaking in November after Mr Baird discovered that messages from him had been blocked and deleted.
The jury is expected to visit the Paddington terrace during the trial, with forensic markers to be identified by Senior Sergeant Lansley. A third week of hearings begins on Tuesday.
