Beau Lamarre-Condon, a former police officer from Sydney, who is 31 years old, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of AFL referee Jesse Baird and steward Luke Davies. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of breaking and entering.
Lamarre-Condon is accused of shooting the pair dead with his police-issued weapon. The incident is alleged to have taken place at Baird’s home in Paddington on 19 February 2024. The prosecution alleges that Lamarre-Condon began cleaning the crime scene immediately after the shooting, throwing items into a container at the Cronulla Bowls Club.
A statement by Craig Scott, the groundskeeper at the club, was read in the Supreme Court of New South Wales on Tuesday. Scott and his colleague discovered the items after arriving for work on 21 February 2024. They noticed that the container’s lid had been propped open by rubbish, and Scott stated that he had seen several black bin bags. He recalled that the bags had not been there the previous day.
Scott opened one of the bags and removed a piece of brown clothing. The clothing had red stains that looked like dried blood, leading him and his colleague to suspect that something suspicious had occurred. Silver watch, a leather wallet, and a Qantas ID card were found in the container, along with wooden drawers, various shoes, clothing, and an AFL shorts set that was still in its plastic packaging.
Defence counsel John Stratton SC stated in his opening address that Baird and Davies were shot dead in self-defence following a fight with the police officer. The jury heard that Lamarre-Condon had immediately begun cleaning the crime scene in a panic. The new AFL shorts, Qantas card, and other bloodstained items were found in the container two days after the alleged murder. The trial, presided over by Justice Natalie Adams, continues.
