Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly used his position as a New South Wales Police officer to secure surveillance footage of Jesse Baird on a date a year before the high-profile killings, a Sydney court has been told during the ongoing criminal trial.
CCTV Evidence Reveals Prior Surveillance and Retail Purchases
The NSW Supreme Court criminal trial, which commenced on Monday, centers on the shooting deaths of 26-year-old Jesse Baird—a former AFL umpire and Network Ten presenter and producer—and his 29-year-old partner, Luke Davies. The two men were killed in Paddington on February 19, 2024. Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.
On Thursday, the court released a series of evidentiary exhibits found on the former police officer’s iCloud account following his arrest. Among these files was surveillance footage from the Royal Hotel in Paddington, capturing Baird on a date with another man on May 19, 2023. According to Crown prosecutors, Lamarre-Condon used his police authority to acquire this footage by falsely claiming he was investigating an unrelated assault nearby. An email from the assistant venue manager, tendered in court, noted that police had inquired about someone involved in a fight up the road around that time. The couple had experienced their first breakup in April 2023.
The Purchase of the Surfboard Bag and Expanded Police Investigation
Investigators amassed more than 14,000 hours of video evidence sourced from 200 different locations. Prosecutors played compilations for the jury, including footage from a sports store inside Westfield Miranda on February 17, 2024—just two days before the alleged murders. In the clip, the accused is seen purchasing a large surfboard cover alongside a friend, paying $85 in cash.
The Crown’s opening address outlined that Lamarre-Condon asked his companion whether the friend would fit inside the bag. When the friend answered that he probably would not, the accused allegedly stated that he would take that specific cover because it should be big enough.
Disputed Entries and Chilling Social Media Exhibits
The court also examined exhibits related to an alleged break-in at Baird’s Paddington share house in August 2023, months prior to the killings. Prosecutors presented a police photograph showing a bobby pin wedged into the front door lock. The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon broke into the residence to steal Baird’s mobile phone and wallet. The defense maintains that the accused possessed a valid key provided by Baird.
Additional evidence featured a police photograph of Lamarre-Condon’s service weapon, which the prosecution alleges was used in the shooting. Jurors also viewed restricted Instagram stories posted by the accused, visible only to select potential romantic rivals, designed to project an ongoing relationship with Baird. One such post featured a bouquet of flowers with the caption implying Baird had sent them from Melbourne—a claim Lamarre-Condon later denied in text messages to Baird, asserting instead that the flowers were a gift from his stepfather to his mother.
