Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with killing star TV reporter Jesse Baird and his new lover, flight attendant Luke Davies, on Friday. He allegedly used his service pistol as the murder weapon on Feb. 19.
A week later, police divers say they are still searching for the victims’ bodies.
On Feb. 19, Baird and Davies were each killed at Baird’s shared house in the Sydney suburb of Paddington, according to New South Wales Police Force Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.
Several neighbors reported hearing a gunshot, and some even heard several.
Senior-Constable Lamarre-Condon, 28, has yet to enter a plea or apply for release on bail.
Police suspect that Lamarre-Condon took the bodies in a rented van to a rural property 124 miles southwest of Sydney on Wednesday. Police also allege that Lamarre-Condon returned to the property on Thursday after buying weights from a department store to sink the bodies in a waterway.
Take a look at these old photos of Baird at work. He died at 29, while Davies was 29 —
There was also a pre-recorded "Behind The Scenes" package from Denise Drysdale covering mostly the same stuff as the live crosses from Jesse Baird (Side note: Is he related to one-time NSW Premier Mike? 😉) but worth posting for #SillySeasonScreencaps of her in an Elf suit! 😜 pic.twitter.com/dCd5kbd8o6
— SydneyCityTV (@SydneyCityTV) December 22, 2023
All day Monday, police divers have been searching a number of reservoirs on farms in the Bungonia region.
The police force deputy commissioner told reporters, “It’s our number one priority to try and locate Jesse and Luke to give the families some solace.”
He added that Lamarre-Condon had been following his attorneys’ advice to avoid speaking to police.
Even before searching the waterways, police investigators had made some bombshell discoveries. In Baird’s home, investigators found a bullet case matching the pistol checked from a police gun safe by Lamarre-Condon on Feb. 15.
“It’s a failure if someone has used their service firearm in the manner that’s alleged, which is why it’s necessary to have a review,” Police Commissioner Karen Webb Webb said.
The board of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has described the incident as an alleged police murder of a gay couple, and they’re considering calls for police to be banned from marching in this year’s annual parade.
Webb encouraged the board to allow police officers in the parade, and she disputed the characterization of the incident as a hate crime.
Instead, she called it a “crime of passion” with a more personal motivation.
“We have been participating in Mardi Gras for the last 20 years and haven’t missed a year and I would hate to see that this is the year that we are excluded because of the actions of one person that is not gay hate-related,” Webb said.
“This a crime of passion, we will allege. It is domestic-related, we allege, and that would be a real travesty for this organization to be excluded.”
Police began suspecting a homicide Wednesday after finding the couple’s bloodstained possessions. Almost 20 miles from the crime scene, they searched a trash can to find a phone, a wallet, credit cards, and a bundle of keys.
Police initially suspected Baird due to Baird’s phone messages asking his housemates to put his belongings in storage before a move to Perth, on the other side of the country.
Now, police have accused Lamarre-Condon of sending the messages to frame the deceased Baird.
Take a look at this footage from Lamarre-Condon’s hearing —
A corrective services van arrives at Waverley Court after Beaumont Lamarre-Condon was refused bail, charged with the murder of 26 y/o Jesse Baird and 29 y/o Luke Davies. He nodded and said only "what was the date?", in the 5 min hearing. He had no supporters. @10NewsFirstSyd pic.twitter.com/boOmZ6u7cy
— Sarah Navin (@SarahNavin) February 23, 2024
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.