Prison Recording Played in Trial of Officer Accused of Double Murder

Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, is on trial for the fatal shooting of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in their Paddington home on February 19, 2024. The 31-year-old police officer has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. On Monday, a New South Wales Supreme Court jury heard a covert recording of a prison conversation that Lamarre-Condon had with a friend in December of last year.

The friend, whose identity is being kept confidential, visited Lamarre-Condon to record the interaction on behalf of police. At the start of the visit, Lamarre-Condon asked his companion to turn around to prove he was not wearing a wire. The friend responded by telling him to calm down, noting that the officer seemed paranoid. The two men discussed the friend's difficult position as a result of the case. Lamarre-Condon apologized for the situation, stating in the audio, "I fully take accountability that you're involved because of me now."

The recording also captured a dispute over the facts of the case. The friend said he was upset because Lamarre-Condon had called him dumb. Lamarre-Condon replied, "You're not dumb OK," before adding, "You're not self aware in the way that I am." Lamarre-Condon then accused his friend of lying in his police statement about the motive for the killings. The friend maintained that Lamarre-Condon had claimed Davies was killed to eliminate a witness, while the officer in the recording insisted he acted in self-defense.

Lamarre-Condon addressed the charge of aggravated break and enter during the conversation. He told his friend that entering Baird's home did not qualify as a break and enter because Baird had previously cut him a key. He admitted to trespassing but argued it was normal to return to a former partner's home to retrieve belongings. He explained that he did not knock because he feared being slapped with an apprehended violence order, though he did call out hello upon entering.

The officer told the jury he would have prepared differently if he had planned the attack. He said he would have been "cool, calm, collected" and would have had cleaning supplies ready. Lamarre-Condon noted he would not have used his police service weapon. He added, "I can get [another gun] for $10,000, I could have done all these things." He also stated that if he had planned the incident, he would have acted with more composure.

During the recording, Lamarre-Condon discussed testing his firearm at Royal National Park before the murders. He said he shot the gun to test its loudness because he planned to return there to take his own life. He told his friend he had been suffering from suicidality due to trauma at work. The friend was heard threatening to leave the conversation multiple times, telling Lamarre-Condon, "What you're telling me mightn't be the truth."

The trial is being presided over by Justice Natalie Adams. The friend had previously testified on Friday that Lamarre-Condon described the killings as an "out-of-body experience" before attempting to play it off as a joke. The court will continue to hear evidence in the case.