Tributes have begun pouring in for TV presenter Jesse Baird and his flight attendant partner Luke Davies after a man was charged with their murder.
Davies was described by friend Eric David as a beautiful soul and “one of the most positive and loving guys I’ve ever met”.
Meanwhile, Jess Trend remembered Baird as “pure magic” and a much-loved man who “left a trail of sparklers wherever [he] went”.
Channel Ten “First Dates” host and bartender James Devlin wrote: “Two beautiful souls taken in these utterly cruel circumstances.
“I am truly shocked. Jesse was part of the Channel 10 family – a bright light with a beautiful soul that has gone forever. My heart goes out to Jesse and Luke’s family at this heartbreaking time.”
Wrote @benji_star: “This is truly devastating and upsetting. The whole community is in shock. Luke was such a nice person – always happy and positive. Very very sad.”
Said Simon Prak Sar: “This breaks my heart. Luke was just a lovely person to know and his partner too…”.
Baird and Davies were last seen on Sunday when they attended the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills with friends.
“I am truly shocked. Jesse was part of the Channel 10 family – a bright light with a beautiful soul that has gone forever. My heart goes out to Jesse and Luke’s family at this heartbreaking time.”
Wrote @benji_star: “This is truly devastating and upsetting. The whole community is in shock. Luke was such a nice person – always happy and positive. Very very sad.”
Said Simon Prak Sar: “This breaks my heart. Luke was just a lovely person to know and his partner too…”.
Baird and Davies were last seen on Sunday when they attended the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills with friends.
Sydney police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has now been charged with their murder after handing himself into the Bondi police station on Friday morning.
This followed police seeking to question him in relation to the couple’s disappearance. Lamarre-Condon had previously been in a relationship with Baird.
Police allege Lamarre-Condon used his police-issued gun to kill the pair and then drove a white van up to Newcastle to dispose of their bodies.
“Last night he was in the Newcastle area and left there sometime this morning, travelled down to Greys Point, and that’s where the car has been located,” said Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty.
The bodies of 29-year-old Davies and 26-year-old Davies are yet to be found, but police say they have significant evidence to be able to charge Lamarre-Condon.
“From what we’ve gathered, we’re satisfied for a charge of murder,” said Doherty.
Police were first alerted to the disappearance on Wednesday morning when a greenkeeper at a bowling club in Cronulla found a pile of bloodied clothes in a skip.
Officers then went to the Paddington home of Baird where they found large amounts of blood and immediately declared it a crime scene.
On Thursday evening, police executed a search warrant at a Balmain home believed to be owned by Lamarre-Condon’s parents and seized a number of items there.
In his previous life, Lamarre-Condon chased celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Harry Styles, even most recently snapping a picture with Kourtney Kardashian while she was in Sydney.
Just a year into his policing job, a video of Lamarre-Condon Tasering a man in the face during an arrest in Darlinghurst went viral, but he was cleared of wrongdoing.
Baird and Davies had only recently begun dating, meeting around New Year’s, shortly after Davies moved from Brisbane down to Sydney for his job with Qantas.
Police say they were not aware of any complaints about Lamarre-Condon behaviour, but since starting the investigation they have been made aware of “worrying behaviour”.
“There were not warnings in relation to his behaviour or relationships.
“However, since that’s… come along, there was some worrying behaviour that’s been reported to family and friends,” said Doherty.
Lamarre-Condon has been formally refused bail to appear in court in eight weeks’ time.
This article was written by Eliot Hastie (@eliothastie), who knew Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
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Gay Sydney News editor