The short version
- A friend of accused officer Beau Lamarre-Condon testified that he confessed to shooting two men and asked for help moving their bodies.
- The witness described prior incidents where Lamarre-Condon allegedly tested a police-issued firearm in a national park and sought to purchase a silencer overseas.
- Defense attorneys argue the shootings were accidental acts of self-defense followed by panic, while the prosecution presents evidence of premeditation.
The Supreme Court of New South Wales heard testimony on Friday regarding the alleged confession of Beau Lamarre-Condon, a former police officer accused of murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. A friend of the defendant, whose identity remains suppressed to protect his safety, told jurors that Lamarre-Condon contacted him on the day of the killings in February 2024. The witness stated that the officer arrived at his workplace and admitted to having killed someone, describing the event as an out-of-body experience that felt disconnected from his own actions.
According to the witness’s account, Lamarre-Condon initially attempted to frame the admission as a joke when the friend expressed disbelief. However, after the friend became visibly upset, the officer allegedly clarified that the situation was real and requested that no one else be informed. The court heard that Lamarre-Condon provided specific details about the shootings, claiming he shot one victim through the head and another through a door, stating that the second individual was not intended to be killed but could not be left as a witness.
The testimony revealed that Lamarre-Condon asked his friend to leave work to assist with cleaning the crime scene and moving the bodies. The friend declined to participate directly in the cleanup but relayed the gravity of the situation to his team leader, who advised him to maintain professional boundaries by citing a mandatory meeting. Subsequent communications between the two men included messages from Lamarre-Condon suggesting he deserved an award for his performance, followed by video calls that further confused the nature of the interaction.
Beyond the day of the alleged murders, the witness described earlier events that suggest planning or preparation. In late 2023, while traveling overseas with Lamarre-Condon, the officer allegedly expressed a desire to find a location to purchase a silencer. The pair visited what they believed to be a gun store, but it turned out to be either closed or a fraudulent advertisement. Upon returning to Australia, Lamarre-Condon sent photos of airsoft guns, denying that he had acquired the suppressor he sought.
The witness also recounted an incident in Sydney where Lamarre-Condon drove him to a national park and produced a police service weapon from a paper bag. The officer allegedly fired the gun into the bushland, asking his friend to assess the volume of the shots. He specifically inquired whether the noise would be audible inside a house, to which the friend responded that the sound was extremely loud and would be heard anywhere nearby. Lamarre-Condon then instructed the friend not to disclose the event to anyone.
During this testing session, Lamarre-Condon provided his friend with a police-issued radio to monitor for any reports of police movement in the area. The witness stated that he questioned the legality of firing a service weapon, but Lamarre-Condon claimed the ammunition consisted of training bullets taken from an annual police shoot. This testimony challenges the defense’s narrative by suggesting a deliberate effort to test the weapon’s acoustic properties and ensure operational secrecy.
The defense team, led by lawyer John Stratton SC, maintains that Baird and Davies were accidentally shot during an encounter where Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defense. They argue that the officer panicked after the discharges, leading him to clean the scene and dispose of the bodies rather than acting with premeditated intent. Justice Natalie Adams is overseeing the trial, which continues as both sides present evidence regarding the sequence of events on February 19, 2024.
Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. The prosecution’s case relies heavily on the timeline of communications and actions described by the friend, aiming to establish a pattern of behavior that contradicts the self-defense claim. The jury is tasked with weighing the credibility of the witness’s account against the defense’s assertion of accidental discharge and subsequent panic.
The proceedings highlight the complex interplay between alleged confessions, attempts to minimize culpability through humor, and physical evidence of weapon testing. As the trial progresses, further testimony may shed light on the relationship between Lamarre-Condon and his friend, as well as the specific circumstances surrounding the deaths of Baird and Davies in their Paddington home.
Legal experts note that the admission of guilt, even if initially framed as a joke, carries significant weight in court. The detailed descriptions of the shooting mechanics and the subsequent request for assistance in body disposal provide prosecutors with a narrative of intent. Conversely, the defense seeks to portray these actions as the erratic behavior of someone overwhelmed by fear and confusion following an unexpected violent incident.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗‘I’ve killed someone’: Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly confessed to friend and asked for help moving bodies, court told
