Beau Lamarre-Condon has claimed in his double murder trial that a friend encouraged him to dispose of the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies immediately. Lamarre-Condon faces charges including the murders of the couple on 19 February 2024, using his police service weapon at Baird’s Paddington home, though his defense argues the shootings were accidental and occurred in self-defence.
Allegations Concerning a Friend’s Involvement
A friend testifying under the pseudonym Elizabeth Kennedy previously told the court she believed they were going out for lunch when Lamarre-Condon picked her up two days after the alleged killings, denying any knowledge or assistance. However, prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC read a statement from Lamarre-Condon to the court on Tuesday that contradicted this testimony. Lamarre-Condon alleged that Kennedy lied to police and that he wanted to do the right thing by the victims’ families because they deserved the truth.
According to his statement, Lamarre-Condon showed Kennedy the bodies in the back of a van after picking her up, began to cry, and asked if he should drive straight to the police. He alleged that Kennedy replied that police would not believe him and referenced the Taylor Swift song “No Body, No Crime”, telling him they had to get rid of the bodies straight away. Lamarre-Condon stated he warned her about being charged as an accessory and offered to let her walk away, but claimed she agreed to help because he would have done the same for her.
Lamarre-Condon alleged that Kennedy played the song on her phone while laughing at the situation and later assisted in carrying the bodies and pouring concrete into bags at a Bungonia farm. He claimed she used his pocketknife to cut holes into a surfboard cover so a bag would sink, resulting in knife wounds on Luke Davies’s leg, and maintained she was a willing participant who never expressed reluctance. He added that he initially hid her involvement because she begged him not to tell, but told her he could not lie under oath.
Contradictory Evidence and Police Call
During her earlier testimony, Kennedy denied willingly helping Lamarre-Condon or assisting in sinking the bodies, stating she weighed 55 kilograms and waited at a gate while he drove to a dam. She also asserted that Lamarre-Condon was the one who played the Taylor Swift song in the car. The jury also heard a recording of a phone call made by Lamarre-Condon to a police assistance line on 23 February 2024 at 10.37am, shortly before he handed himself in, where he reported a psychological injury and mentioned suffering from anxiety and symptoms of schizophrenia.
The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.
