A former police officer accused of murdering television presenter Jesse Baird and his partner fabricated relationships with high-profile celebrities before developing an intense infatuation with the broadcaster, a jury has heard.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, 29, is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court charged with two counts of domestic violence-related murder over the deaths of Mr Baird, 26, and his partner, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29. The couple were allegedly shot dead inside Mr Baird's Paddington terrace house in February last year.
On Tuesday, the court received testimony concerning the accused's social circles and personal history, with witnesses detailing an enduring pattern of embellishment regarding his connections to prominent figures in the entertainment industry.
Fabricated ties to high-profile figures
A former acquaintance of the accused took to the witness stand, recounting how Mr Lamarre-Condon routinely claimed close personal friendships with well-known personalities. As reported by ABC News NSW, the witness told the court that Mr Lamarre-Condon "pretended to be friends" with celebrities, cultivating an elaborate public persona that diverged significantly from reality.
Prior to joining the NSW Police Force, Mr Lamarre-Condon worked as an entertainment blogger and photographer, frequently documenting his encounters with international and Australian talent on red carpets.
However, the court heard that these encounters were often recast as intimate relationships. According to testimony presented to the jury, the accused sought to project an image of immense social influence, boasting of private access to high-profile figures who were in fact mere professional subjects or fleeting acquaintances.
Unravelling infatuation with Jesse Baird
The jury heard that this propensity for fixation eventually shifted toward Mr Baird, a former red-carpet reporter and Network 10 presenter.
The witness testified that Mr Lamarre-Condon developed an "infatuation" with Mr Baird following a brief association between the two men. That fixation, the Crown alleges, escalated into sustained surveillance, unannounced visits, and obsessive behaviour after Mr Baird ended their romantic involvement and began dating Mr Davies.
Prosecutors contend that the accused's possessive behaviour culminated in the double homicide, alleging Mr Lamarre-Condon used his police-issued Glock firearm to carry out the killings before disposing of the bodies on a rural property in Bungonia, near Goulburn.
Critical testimony in the Crown's narrative
The portrait of the former senior constable painted in court forms a central plank of the prosecution's argument, which seeks to establish premeditation and motive rooted in wounded pride and obsession.
The defence has not disputed that the two men died by gunshots fired from the police-issued service weapon, but has sought to challenge the Crown's characterisation of the accused's state of mind leading up to the fatal incident.
The deaths sent shockwaves through Sydney's eastern suburbs and prompted intense scrutiny over the oversight of police-issued firearms, particularly the protocols allowing off-duty officers access to service weapons.
The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues, with further witness evidence expected this week.
