Beau Lamarre-Condon, accused of double murder, gave evidence in his defence on Monday, the second day of his testimony. He pleaded not guilty to the murder of a couple in Sydney in 2024.
The alleged murders of Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies occurred on 19 February 2024 at Baird's home in Paddington. Lamarre-Condon claimed he disguised himself to avoid contact with Baird.
According to his testimony, he came up with the idea of dressing as an UberEats delivery driver to avoid verbal interaction with Baird. He said he had seen a reflective hooded jacket, waterproof trousers and gloves. He concluded that if he put on a helmet and appropriate clothing, he could knock on Jesse's door and look like an UberEats driver. He also explained that he was worried that knocking on the door might be interpreted as harassment.
The jury heard that he entered the house to look for his expensive items, including a Cartier ring. He said he found Baird with tape in one hand and a knife in the other while he was packing boxes.
The accused claims that Baird swung the knife at him, leading to a struggle. He stated that he aimed at Baird's right shoulder to force him to drop the knife. He added that he stands by that decision, but that he never had the thought or intention to kill Baird. He said that he effectively pinned Jesse against the wall with Baird's left forearm while he was swinging the knife. During his testimony, he also made a circular hand movement mimicking that swing.
Lamarre-Condon told the judge that Luke Davies picked up his gun and pointed it at him, after which a second struggle ensued. He claims that Davies shot himself. He also said that he could have shot Baird in the centre of his chest and killed him, but that he only wanted Jesse to drop the knife. According to him, he said to Baird: "It's Beau, it's Beau, calm down." He explained that he knows Jesse and that Jesse would never have tried to attack him with a knife if he had known it was him, but thought he was facing an unknown person and was ready for a confrontation.
He also told the court that he took off the jacket because it was reflective and made of waterproof material that made a noise when moving. He kept the visor on so that no one would recognise him and so he could escape without being seen. During cross-examination, he reiterated that he was looking for his expensive items in Baird's home that day. Stating that he has numerous Casablanca shirts worth around 2,000 dollars, he said he likes buying expensive clothes and that he kept valuable items there.
After finishing his defence, cross-examination began by the prosecutor Brett Hatfield. Lamarre-Condon also said that he had spoken to some friends about shooting Baird and removing the body. He added that he was afraid to go to the police because he thought he would be killed in prison. He also stated that on 27 February 2024, he spoke to his lawyer before surrendering to the police. The court adjourned for the day, and the trial continues on Monday at 10 o'clock.
