Accused killer cop Beau Lamarre-Condon will reportedly argue he acted in self-defence after pleading not guilty to the alleged domestic violence-related murders of former Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird and his Qantas flight attendant boyfriend Luke Davies.
Lamarre-Condon appeared in court through an audiovisual link from Silverwater Correctional Complex on Tuesday to enter in his pleas of not guilty for both the murder charges and a further charge of breaking and entering.
Both Channel Ten and Channel Seven reported that Lamarre-Condon would rely on self-defence grounds to fight the murder charges, though this was not said in court and Lamarre-Condon’s lawyer did not confirm this publicly to TV cameras outside.
The former police officer appeared virtually for less than five minutes to say “not guilty” to the three charges before acknowledging Deputy Chief Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis at the end of the hearing.
“Thanks, Your Honour,” Lamarre-Condon said as the magistrate read out the next steps in the case.
Lamarre-Condon’s lawyer, Ben Archbold – a former Big Brother contestant, Victorian police officer and the lawyer who previously represented baby killer Keli Lane – told reporters outside court that the full story of what happened on February 19, 2024, will eventually come out.
“My client has pleaded not guilty to all charges and, as you’ll probably appreciate, there are always more sides to every story,” he said.
“We will have the opportunity to tell ours in the fullness of time and appropriate forum, and I suppose history will be the judge.”
A serving member of NSW Police at the time of the alleged murders, Lamarre-Condo is accused of using his police-issued firearm to kill the couple at Baird’s Paddington share house.
Police allege he hid the couple’s bodies in surfboard bags that had been purchased days prior to their deaths before taking them to a remote property in Bungonia, more than 180 kilometres south-west of Sydney.
A manhunt followed the couple’s disappearance before Lamarre-Condon presented at Bondi police station four days after the alleged murders.
He allegedly revealed the locations of the bodies while in custody.
The case has been delayed numerous times, primarily due to changes in the former police officer’s legal team.
Lawyer John Walford first had carriage of the case, then taxpayer-funded Legal Aid before they dropped it and passed it on to lawyer Ben Archbold.
When Archbold took on the case, he was granted a six-week adjournment to get up to speed on it despite objections from the prosecution.
Lamarre-Condon’s mother, Colleen, was present at Tuesday’s hearing but did not say anything to reporters as she left court.
The case has now been sent to the Supreme Court for an arraignment on October 3.
If Lamarre-Condon again enters a plea of not guilty during the arraignment, which is mostly a procedural step, the case will proceed to trial at a later date, where it’s likely to go before a jury.
In NSW, all murder trials normally go before a jury because of the seriousness of the offence. However, the law does allow for judge-alone trials in certain circumstances.
Editor’s note: Journalist Eliot Hastie knew Baird.
Eliot Hastie is a senior news producer at Channel Ten, reporting on a range of general stories, specialising in foreign affairs and LGBTQ+ stories. He’s also a reporter for Gay Sydney News, where he covers LGBTQIA+ culture, politics and nightlife. He previously helped to build and launch ausbiz, Australia's only live streaming finance news channel, where he was also an executive producer and host. He has previously worked as a finance and business journalist for publications including Fintech Business, Real Estate Business and other Momentum Media titles. Eliot holds a journalism degree from the University of Westminster and brings experience in both broadcast and digital reporting. Contact Eliot: eliot.hastie@gaysydneynews.com.au
