Defendant claims friend directed body disposal in double murder trial

Beau Lamarre-Condon, a 31-year-old former police officer, has told a jury that a friend encouraged him to dispose of two bodies immediately after a double shooting, a claim that directly conflicts with her previous account. Lamarre-Condon is on trial for the murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who were fatally shot in Baird’s home in Paddington on February 19, 2024. He faces two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter, having pleaded not guilty to all charges. His defense team argues the shootings were accidental and that Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defense.

The conflict centers on the role of a friend, identified in court as Elizabeth Kennedy, who accompanied Lamarre-Condon two days after the alleged murders. Kennedy testified last week that she believed she was going out for lunch when Lamarre-Condon picked her up. She denied assisting in the disposal of the bodies, stating, “I didn’t know anything.” She described waiting at a gate while Lamarre-Condon drove to a dam on a farm in Bungonia. She also denied knowing that Baird was dead at the time and claimed Lamarre-Condon played a specific song in the car.

On Tuesday, a statement from Lamarre-Condon was read to the court by prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC. In the statement, Lamarre-Condon alleged that Kennedy “flat-out lied to police in her statement regarding her involvement.” He claimed that after he showed her the bodies in the back of a van, he began to cry and suggested they drive to the police. According to Lamarre-Condon, Kennedy replied, “No, no, you can’t. They won’t believe you.”

Lamarre-Condon alleged that Kennedy quoted the Taylor Swift song “No Body, No Crime” and insisted they get rid of the bodies “straight away.” He stated that he warned Kennedy she could be charged as an accessory to murder and told her she could walk away without him being angry. Kennedy allegedly agreed to help because he would help her in the future. Lamarre-Condon said Kennedy played the song on her phone and laughed during the drive.

The defendant further alleged that Kennedy assisted in carrying the bodies and poured concrete into bags to help them sink in the water at the farm. He claimed that when a bag would not sink, Kennedy used his pocketknife to cut holes in the surfboard cover, which he said caused knife wounds to Luke Davies’ leg. Lamarre-Condon described Kennedy as a “willing participant” who never said she did not want to help.

Kennedy’s testimony last week contradicted these details. While being questioned by defense barrister John Stratton SC, she said she could not carry a body due to her size, noting she is five feet tall and weighs 55 kilograms. She maintained that Lamarre-Condon, not she, played the song in the car. She called the track “a very niche song.”

Lamarre-Condon explained in his statement that he initially kept Kennedy’s involvement secret because she begged him not to tell police. He said he eventually decided to disclose her role because he could not lie under oath and wanted the families of the victims to know the truth.

The court also heard a recording of a phone call Lamarre-Condon made to a police assistance line on February 23, 2024, at 10:37 a.m., shortly before he turned himself in. During the call, Lamarre-Condon introduced himself and reported a psychological injury. He told the operator he was suffering from anxiety and symptoms of schizophrenia. He requested that the call be deleted and described being exposed to trauma and death, which he said affected his mental capability. He also stated that he had been severely bullied since joining the police force and that nothing had been done about it.

Lamarre-Condon told the operator he was on his way to a central police station and that detectives were already aware he was being driven there. The operator expressed surprise at his familiarity with the investigation. The trial is presided over by Justice Natalie Adams and continues.