Accused double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon has told a Sydney jury he intended to confess to killing Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, before an acquaintance persuaded him to dump their bodies instead.

Taking to the stand to deliver his first detailed account during his NSW Supreme Court trial, the 31-year-old former police constable claimed he had originally resolved to do the “right thing” by the grieving relatives of the two men, The Guardian Australia reported. Instead, Lamarre-Condon alleged in his testimony that an associate intervened, pressuring him to dispose of the corpses “straight away” rather than surrender to detectives.

Confession Derailed by Advice to Conceal Remains

Addressing the jury in a packed courtroom, Lamarre-Condon sought to explain the critical days following the fatal incident, asserting that panic and poor counsel had overridden his initial conscience. He maintained that his primary instinct was to alert emergency services and allow the families of the victims to recover their loved ones.

According to the former officer, the suggestion to remove the bodies from the scene originated outside his own planning, setting into motion an elaborate logistical operation to haul the remains out of metropolitan Sydney. The testimony represents a core component of the defence’s effort to explain his behaviour during the extensive multi-day police search that captivated the nation earlier this year.

Service Firearm Discharged in Inner-East Terrace

The Crown alleges that on 19 February 2024, Lamarre-Condon fatally shot Mr Baird, 26, a television presenter, and Mr Davies, 29, an airline flight attendant, inside Mr Baird’s rental terrace in Paddington. Prosecutors argue the killings were carried out using the defendant’s police-issued Glock firearm, which had been checked out under standard departmental protocols.

Forensic specialists and homicide detectives reconstructed a chaotic scene inside the Brown Street terrace, where neighbours reported hearing gunshots on the morning of the alleged murders. The subsequent failure to return the service weapon immediately triggered an internal review, accelerating the investigation into Lamarre-Condon as inquiries deepened.

Rural Search Followed Days of Silence

Despite the accused’s assertions that he had contemplated a swift confession, the aftermath of the shootings saw no immediate alert given to law enforcement. Rather, the bodies were transported several hours southwest of Sydney to a remote rural property near Bungonia, near Goulburn.

The search operation drew hundreds of specialist tactical officers, divers, and forensic personnel into regional New South Wales. The bodies were eventually uncovered concealed in surfboard bags along a rural fence line, nearly a week after the shooting took place. Lamarre-Condon later presented himself at Bondi police station, where he was formally taken into custody.

Jury Weighed Against Evidence of Premeditation

The trial now centres on whether Lamarre-Condon possessed homicidal intent and premeditation, or whether the lethal actions unfolded under circumstances that might mitigate his legal culpability. Crown prosecutors are expected to vigorously cross-examine the former officer over his claims regarding his companion's alleged influence.

Legal observers note that the stark divide between Lamarre-Condon’s stated intention to inform police and his subsequent actions in concealing physical evidence will form a central pillar of the jury’s deliberations as the proceedings continue.