Police officer charged with two counts of murder over missing Sydney couple

By 3pm Friday, the 28-year-old senior constable was charged with two counts of murder following the disappearance of the couple.

A split image. On the left is two men posing for a selfie. On the right is a man in handcuffs being escorted by two police officers.

A 28-year-old police officer (right, face blurred) has been charged with the murder of Sydney couple Luke Davies and Jesse Baird (left). Source: Instagram, Supplied / NSW Police

A serving police officer has been charged with the murders of ex-Network Ten reporter Jesse Baird, 26, and his flight attendant partner Luke Davies, 29, as detectives search for the missing men's bodies.

Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, who goes by the name Beau Lamarre, handed himself in at Bondi police station in Sydney's east soon after 10.30am on Friday.

By 3pm, the 28-year-old senior constable was charged with two counts of murder following the disappearance of the couple.

The pair has not been heard from since Monday, triggering a police search for Lamarre, who previously dated Baird.

The officer appeared in Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon. He did not apply for bail and will reappear at the Downing Centre Court on 23 April.
A small house with plants outside the fence.
Police earlier seized items from a Balmain home in their search for Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
The disappearance of the men was treated as suspicious after possessions belonging to both of them were found in a skip bin in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on Wednesday.

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

Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty said investigators found a discharged gunshot round at the home and it had been matched to a NSW Police gun.

CCTV footage captured from a neighbouring property showed a white van outside Baird's house shortly before the couple disappeared.
Police vehicles and crime scene tape mark the spot outside a house in Paddington linked to the alleged murders.
Police continue to work on a crime scene at Waite Road in Paddington, Sydney, on Friday. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
Police allege that the van, a Toyota HiAce, which was hired from Mascot on Monday night, was used to move the bodies of the two men to an unknown location, Doherty said.

Detectives have appealed for information about the movements of the van, which has NSW registration CW82PM, since Monday evening.

"We're trying to get a timeline of movements, the locations where it's travelled and anyone who's been seen in the van from Monday night to this morning," Doherty said.

Officers executed a search warrant and seized a number of items from a home at Balmain, in Sydney's inner west, about 11.30pm on Thursday.

Property records reportedly indicate the home was bought under the name Lamarre.

Neighbours heard shouting at Baird's Paddington home on Monday before a large amount of blood was found at the property on Wednesday.
A composite image of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird.
Former Network Ten presenter Jesse Baird (right) and his partner Luke Davies (left) disappeared from Sydney's east earlier this week. Source: Instagram / NSW Police
Doherty said the charged officer had been in a relationship with Baird until a few months ago.

"That will be an obvious line of inquiry in relation to a domestic-style incident," he said.

Baird's family and friends had reported "worrying behaviour" in the relationship, but it had never been reported to police, Doherty said.

The missing man's WhatsApp account was active as late as Tuesday night, but police are unsure who had the phone at the time.

"Who actually had attributed use of that phone we're still establishing," Doherty said.
Lamarre, who up until days ago had an active social media presence, joined the police force in 2019.

Photos posted online show the former celebrity blogger posing with dozens of A-listers including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles.

During a 2014 Lady Gaga concert, Lamarre threw a note at the singer describing her as his "saviour".

Gaga read the note aloud, which read: "through your music, you have helped and will continue to set free many people ... Gaga, you're not just my idol but literally my saviour".

Footage of the recently graduated officer tasering a man at close range in Darlinghurst went viral in 2020, prompting an internal review.

An investigation later cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Baird previously worked as a presenter on the morning program Studio 10, while lately he had taken to the field as a goal umpire for AFL and VFL games.

Photos from his and Davies' social media accounts show the couple together at a Pink concert in Sydney during the week before their disappearance.

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4 min read
Published 23 February 2024 11:26am
Updated 23 February 2024 3:29pm
Source: AAP, SBS


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