By Fatma Younis
A Sydney court has heard that a police colleague messaged Beau Lamarre-Condon on Instagram days after he allegedly murdered his ex-partner Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, urging him to contact investigators.
Failed contact attempts
Police tried to contact Lamarre-Condon for four days after the February 19 killings. Constable Hayley Keefe sent an Instagram message reading “Hey hun ... can you please contact the crime manager at eastern suburbs asap when you get a chance?” The message remained unread and she later deleted it, feeling awkward about using personal social media for official business.
Accused's surrender
Lamarre-Condon called police on February 22, stating he was not avoiding them and would turn himself in the next day. He subsequently led officers to a rural property where the bodies of both men, aged in their 20s, were found inside surfboard bags.
Evidence of movements
The court heard Lamarre-Condon messaged a friend, known by the pseudonym Fiona Rosso, on the morning of the alleged murders, saying he had “just gotten rid of all social media.” Three days later he arrived at her home crying and saying he had “done something bad.” He scrubbed blood from a white van parked outside her home, spent the night there, and then drove to Sydney. His mother texted him the code phrase “hot chocolate,” signalling that police had searched her home.
Prosecution case
The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon killed Mr Baird “execution-style” at close range as part of a plan driven by jealous obsession, before shooting Mr Davies to eliminate a witness. The 31-year-old claims he acted in self-defence after entering the terrace to retrieve his belongings. His offer to plead guilty to Mr Baird’s manslaughter was rejected by prosecutors. The trial continues.
