Deleted messages, an elaborate story, and an angle grinder: Murder-accused policeman’s alleged cover-up

NSW Police have detailed how they believed the alleged murders of couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies unfolded.

A split image. On the left is a police rescue vehicle. On the right are police officers searching a property.

NSW Police searched a rural property on Hazelton Rd, Bungonia in the NSW Southern Tablelands, for Jesse Baird and Luke Davies' bodies on Sunday and Monday. Source: AAP

An officer accused of killing his ex-partner and his new boyfriend went to extraordinary lengths to cover up his crimes, criss-crossing hundreds of kilometres across Sydney in the days after the murders, police allege.

The alleged crimes of Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon followed what police say was his and former Network Ten reporter Jesse Baird's "on and off again" relationship that “did not end well”.

Police alleged Lamarre-Condon killed Baird, 26, and his new boyfriend, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, .
NSW Police believe the 28-year-old acted alone but divulged "partial admissions" to others in the days before he handed himself into police over the couple's disappearance.

Police on Sunday and Monday were searching a property in Bungonia, an area near Goulburn and almost 200km southeast of Sydney, as they try to find the missing couple's bodies.

What is Beau Lamarre-Condon alleged to have done?

Lamarre-Condon is accused of using his police-issued firearm to murder the couple after using a key to access Baird's Paddington home last Monday.

A triple-zero call was made from Davies' phone about four minutes after shots were heard at the property, but the call disconnected before anyone spoke, Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told reporters on Monday.

Hudson said who made the call had not yet been determined.
A man in police uniform waves both hands in the air
The alleged crimes of Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon followed what police say was his and former Network Ten reporter Jesse Baird's "on and off again" relationship that “did not end well”. Source: AAP / James Gourley
Lamarre-Condon then allegedly used Baird's phone to delete messages and posed as the deceased to throw investigators off track.

In one message, he asked the 29-year-old's flatmates to put his possessions in storage after conjuring an elaborate story that Davies would be moving to Perth, Hudson said.

Hudson described Lamarre-Condon and Baird’s relationship, which ended in late 2023, as “on and off again” and said it “did not end well”.
A row of policemen on a gravel road
NSW Police conduct a line search on a rural property on Hazelton Rd, Bungonia in the Southern Tablelands, 170km southwest of Sydney, on Monday. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Police say 'innocent friend' was with Lamare-Condon

An "innocent friend" unknowingly assisted him when he allegedly disposed of their bodies, Hudson said.

"There are two acquaintances that we believe the accused spoke to - one was a former officer, the other was not," he said.

Lamarre-Condon also made contact with family members and police were relying on their assistance as part of the investigation, Hudson added.

"There were certain admissions - partial admissions - made ... however, the information at the time was not passed on to police," he said.
Two men pose for a selfie.
Luke Davies (left) and Jesse Baird's (right) disappearance was considered suspicious when blood-stained possessions belonging to both of them were found in a skip bin in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on Wednesday. Source: Instagram
Officers were pointed to the Bungonia property after discovering "an innocent agent" travelled there on Wednesday afternoon with Lamarre-Condon in a hired van.

An angle grinder bought earlier by the acquaintance was allegedly used to cut a padlock on a gate, before Lamarre-Condon travelled alone into the property, returning about 30 minutes later, police allege.

The pair made the two-hour trip back to Sydney only for the accused to allegedly purchase weights and return to the property later that night.
Gaps in the timeline of Lamarre-Condon's movements last week left open the possibility he retrieved the bodies and disposed of them somewhere else, police allege.

"It would appear that the accused was suspicious of the acquaintance that attended with him and about her belief that what he might have been up to, and very likely may have returned to those bodies later that evening," Hudson said.

The acquaintance was not a suspect and did not know that two bodies were allegedly in the back of the hired white van.
JESSE BAIRD LUKE DAVIES DISAPPEARANCE
Floral tributes at the residence of Jesse Baird in Sydney. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Lamarre-Condon was next seen leaving the area about 4.30am on Thursday for Sydney, before heading to another acquaintance's property in Newcastle.

"Without fully disclosing any criminality, he asked for access to a hose to clean that van," Hudson said.

Divers had previously been seen searching a waterway at Lambton, Newcastle.

Lamarre-Condon, who joined the police force in 2019, is in custody after not making a bail application on his initial court appearance for the twin murder charges.

The couple's disappearance was deemed suspicious when blood-stained possessions belonging to them were found in a skip in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on Wednesday.

The discovery led police to Baird's blood-smeared share house, about 30km away.

If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.

LGBTIQ+ Australians seeking support with mental health can contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or visit . also has a list of support services.

Share
4 min read
Published 26 February 2024 12:53pm
Updated 26 February 2024 5:54pm
Source: SBS, AAP



Share this with family and friends