Double Murder Trial: Defendant Blames Friend for Hiding Bodies

Beau Lamarre-Condon told a jury on Tuesday that he initially intended to report the deaths of two men to police, but a friend convinced him to dispose of the bodies instead. The 31-year-old former police officer is standing trial for the double murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, whom he allegedly shot in Baird's Paddington home on February 19, 2024.

Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. His legal team argues the shootings were accidental and that he acted in self-defense. The trial is currently before Justice Natalie Adams.

The defense has introduced testimony from a friend known to the court as Elizabeth Kennedy. She accompanied Lamarre-Condon two days after the alleged murders. Kennedy testified last week that she believed they were heading out for lunch. She denied assisting with the body disposal, stating, "I didn’t know anything."

Lamarre-Condon's statement, read by prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, presents a conflicting account. He alleged that after picking up Kennedy, he showed her the bodies in the back of a van. He claimed he began to cry and asked Kennedy, "I should just drive straight to the police now, shouldn’t I?" According to the statement, Kennedy replied, "No, no, you can’t. They won’t believe you."

Lamarre-Condon said Kennedy referenced a Taylor Swift song, telling him, "This is like Taylor Swift’s song, No Body, No Crime. We have to get rid of them straight away." He alleged that Kennedy played the song on her phone while they drove and laughed at the situation. He also claimed she assisted in carrying the bodies to a farm in Bungonia and helped pour concrete into bags to help them sink.

The defendant stated that when the bags failed to sink, Kennedy used his pocketknife to cut holes in a surfboard cover. He said this action caused the knife wounds found on Luke Davies' leg. Lamarre-Condon noted that Kennedy was a "willing participant" and did not express a desire to leave at any point.

Kennedy disputed these details in her own testimony. She stated she weighed 55 kilograms and stood five feet tall, questioning her ability to carry a body. She said she waited at a gate while Lamarre-Condon drove out of sight to a dam. She also claimed Lamarre-Condon played the Swift song in the car, describing it as a "very niche song."

Lamarre-Condon explained that he did not report Kennedy's involvement to police initially because she begged him not to. He said he felt he had to tell the truth in court because he "can’t lie under oath." He described wanting to do the "right thing" for the victims' families so they would "deserve to know the truth."

The court heard a recording of a phone call Lamarre-Condon made to a police assistance line on February 23, 2024. He reported a psychological injury, citing anxiety and "some symptoms of schizophrenia." He stated he had been exposed to trauma and severely bullied since joining the force. He asked the operator to "delete that whole thing" and noted that detectives were already aware he was being driven to a central police station.