Beau Lamarre-Condon trial: Jurors view evidence in Sydney murder case

The trial reaches a grim turning point

The double murder trial of Beau Lamarre-Condon, the former NSW police officer accused of killing Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, has entered its third week. The court is now digging into the harrowing details of how the couple's remains were discovered in rural New South Wales in February 2024.

On Thursday, crime scene officer Greg Moon provided testimony regarding the forensic condition of the victims. In a move that highlights the severity of the proceedings, jurors were shown close-up photographs of a gunshot wound found on Baird, 26. Moon walked the jury box to personally show jurors evidence of 'stippling'—small, close-range burn marks caused by particles expelled from a firearm—around a wound on Baird’s right temple. The prosecution alleges this confirms the killing was 'execution-style' at close range.

The defense's narrative

While the Crown maintains this was a calculated killing, Lamarre-Condon’s legal team is pushing a different narrative. His barrister claims the deaths of Baird and his new partner, Luke Davies, 29, were the result of separate, violent self-defense struggles. The defense argues that the subsequent efforts to move and hide the bodies were acts of panic following an unexpected and chaotic situation.

Evidence presented earlier included CCTV footage allegedly showing Lamarre-Condon, 31, purchasing cleaning supplies, tarpaulins, and a second surfboard bag to help conceal the remains. Investigators found the bodies inside surfboard bags at a Greek monastery in Bungonia, layered with rocks and branches to hide them after an unsuccessful attempt to submerge them in a nearby farm dam.

Why it matters

This trial is highkey heavy, but it’s crucial for understanding the breakdown of events that led to the deaths of two men whose disappearance shook Sydney. The jury is now tasked with weighing the prosecution's claims of an 'execution-style' murder against the defense's argument of a panicked, self-defensive response. The outcome will be a massive moment for justice in the case, no cap.