Accused killer Beau Lamarre-Condon has told a court that CCTV footage showing him at a shopping centre and having dinner after he allegedly murdered Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies does not reveal his panic after the men died.
uncertain
men → accuse → panic
During cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, the former NSW police officer denied the prosecution’s allegation that he acted on a plan to “assassinate Jesse Baird” and executed him on February 19, 2024.
asserted
he → deny → February
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, suggested that CCTV footage on February 19, about three hours after the men died, showed Lamarrre-Condon looking “quite relaxed” buying a second surfboard cover at Westfield Miranda.
uncertain
Condon → suggest → Miranda
“You need to remember that as a police officer … I can’t panic, I can’t react, I have to be the person members of the community look at for direction,” Lamarre-Condon said.
asserted
Condon → need → direction
“Just because you see me on camera with no reaction doesn’t mean I wasn’t crying five minutes before in the whole car ride there.”
asserted
I → see → ride
The court has heard he bought the first cover on February 17, two days before the men died of gunshot wounds from his police-issued Glock pistol.
asserted
men → hear → pistol
Hatfield pressed: “When we see you licking your fingers and smiling and laughing at Sushi Train [having dinner with a friend the day after the alleged murders], is that from your training as a police officer or something else?”
“No, Mr Crown,” Lamarre-Condon replied.
asserted
Condon → press → officer
“And I found it very interesting that you were happy to let us watch 30 minutes of footage of a car sitting still, but you were very happy for the jury not to watch any of that footage from Sushi Train because I watched it back, and I’m … very expressive and clearly panicking.
asserted
I → find → it
The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murdering Baird, 26, a former Network Ten producer and presenter, and Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant, at Baird’s Paddington share house on February 19, 2024.
asserted
old → plead → February
He said he went to Baird’s house that morning to collect some of his belongings – including a $25,000 Cartier ring and Casablanca shirts worth thousands – after Baird ended their relationship in November 2023.
asserted
Baird → say → November
The relationship was romantic but not exclusive, he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
‘You were not suicidal, you were homicidal.’Prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC
Lamarre-Condon told the court he had his police gun with him because he had contemplated taking his own life on the night of February 18 over work-related trauma.
asserted
he → tell → trauma
“You were not suicidal, you were homicidal,” Hatfield put to him on Monday.
asserted
Hatfield → put → Monday
He rejected that suggestion.
asserted
He → reject → suggestion
Lamarre-Condon denied that he had executed Baird and had fired a second shot to ensure he was dead.
asserted
he → deny → shot
“I never executed Jesse Baird,” he said.
asserted
he → execute → Baird
Asked by Hatfield about the Cartier ring, Lamarre-Condon said it was worth $24,450.
asserted
it → ask → ring
He told the court that a conversation with a friend on February 14 reminded him that the last time he had seen it was at Baird’s house in mid-November.
asserted
he → tell → November
“I have multiple Cartier rings, so I didn’t know that one was gone,” he said.
asserted
he → have → rings
Lamarre-Condon said he was “making more than a normal senior constable” because he did user-pays police work, where private groups pay fees for police services, and also had a swimwear line and invested in Bitcoin.
asserted
groups → say → Bitcoin
He estimated his police salary at $120,000 including the user-pays work.
asserted
He → estimate → work
‘I have multiple Cartier rings, so I didn’t know that one was gone.
asserted
one → have → rings
“Where the majority of my money would come from then was selling Hermes Birkins [handbags],” he said.
asserted
he → come → Birkins
“When I went to Paris I would be able to get them.
asserted
I → go → them
I could make profit anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000, depending on what bag I got.”
uncertain
I → make → bag
Hatfield pressed Lamarre-Condon about whether the ring was “an item of some significance to you”, representing about a quarter of his salary in value, and asked how he had forgotten about it for three months.
asserted
he → press → months
Lamarre-Condon said he hadn’t worn it recently and “I rotate through a few of them”.
asserted
I → say → them
There is no dispute that Lamarre-Condon disposed of the men’s bodies outside a Greek monastery in Bungonia, near Goulburn, on February 22.
asserted
Condon → be → February
The defence case is that he panicked when he realised the gravity of the situation.
asserted
he → panic → situation
The former police officer has told the court he is responsible for Baird’s death but did not intend to kill him.
asserted
he → tell → him
Baird had lunged at him with a knife, he said, and he shot Baird once to disarm him and accidentally shot him a second time in a struggle.
asserted
he → lunge → struggle
Davies grabbed the gun and accidentally shot himself in front of Baird’s bedroom door, Lamarre-Condon said, and the bullet became lodged in the door.
asserted
bullet → grab → door
The prosecution alleges that the accused shot Davies through the door to eliminate a witness after he tried to call Triple Zero for help.
asserted
he → allege → help
The Crown case is that Davies’ voice can be heard in the recorded call, played on Monday, saying “get out” and “f--- off”.
asserted
voice → hear → Monday
Lamarre-Condon has said that he called Triple Zero on a mobile phone he found in the kitchen and that both his and Davies’ voices can be heard in the call.
asserted
voices → say → call
The accused said he told Davies to “get out” as he assumed the surrender position.
asserted
he → accuse → position
When asked about the CCTV footage, Lamarre-Condon said: “You need to remember as well, this is someone that I once cared about too.
asserted
I → ask → that
“I understand, obviously, there’s family members that are sad and upset; I completely understand their pain, but Jesse was someone that I did care about as well, so I was very emotional.”
asserted
I → understand → that
Lamarre-Condon has told the court he struck upon an idea after he arrived in Paddington that morning to disguise himself as an Uber Eats rider to avoid a confrontation with Baird.
asserted
he → tell → Baird
He saw a bike nearby with a helmet, high-visibility vest, pants, gloves and bags, he said.
asserted
he → see → helmet
…and 16 more, not listed.
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