Beau Lamarre-Condon is due to face cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court after telling a jury he shot Jesse Baird in self-defence and that Luke Davies later shot himself with the same gun.
The former NSW police officer, 31, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Baird, 26, a former television presenter, and Mr Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant. The men died in Paddington on February 19, 2024.
Lamarre-Condon began giving evidence on Thursday and is expected to return to the witness box at 10am for questioning by Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC. His case is that he acted in self-defence.
What Lamarre-Condon told the jury
He said he went to Mr Baird’s share house through an open door to collect belongings, including a $25,000 Cartier ring and expensive Casablanca shirts. He also had a key which he said Mr Baird had cut for him in November, after their romantic but non-exclusive relationship ended.
Lamarre-Condon said he had his police firearm because he had contemplated taking his own life the previous day over work-related trauma. He intended to return the weapon to Miranda police station, he told the court.
He said he had dressed as an Uber Eats delivery rider, using a motorcycle helmet, high-visibility clothing and bags seen on a bike in Paddington. He told the jury he feared knocking on the door could be viewed as harassment after Mr Baird had asked him not to contact him.
After knocking three times and calling out without receiving an answer, Lamarre-Condon said he entered the house. He ran upstairs and hid after hearing noises, before later returning downstairs and encountering Mr Baird in the kitchen.
He said Mr Baird did not recognise him while he was wearing the helmet and lunged at him with a knife. According to Lamarre-Condon, the knife tore open his shirt and he was pinned against a kitchen wall.
He said he shot Mr Baird in the shoulder to disarm him, before a second shot struck him in the head as they fell to the floor. “I 110 per cent stand by that first shot because if I didn’t do it Jesse Baird would be sitting here in the box today, and he would have to explain why he drove a knife into my throat,” he said.
Lamarre-Condon said the second shooting was accidental. “It was my fault,” he told the jury. “I’ve said from the start I am guilty of manslaughter and I’m responsible for his death, but it wasn’t intentional.”
He said he found a phone and called Triple Zero before going into “police mode” in an effort to save Mr Baird.
The accused told the court that Mr Davies then grabbed the gun and pointed it at him. He said Mr Davies later pulled the trigger and shot himself in front of Mr Baird’s bedroom door.
The Crown alleges instead that Lamarre-Condon shot Mr Davies through the door. He has admitted cleaning the house and disposing of both men’s bodies before surrendering to police on February 23, 2024.
