Lamarre-Condon tells jury friend directed disposal of bodies

Beau Lamarre-Condon told a Sydney jury on Tuesday that a friend encouraged him to dispose of two bodies immediately after he shot them, a claim that directly contradicts the version of events provided by the companion.

The 31 year old former police officer is accused of killing Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February 2024. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. His legal team maintains the shootings were accidental and that he acted in self defence.

Lamarre-Condon’s statement, read to the court by prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, details a two day delay between the shootings and his report to police. He alleges that Elizabeth Kennedy, a pseudonym used in court, accompanied him while he hid the bodies in the back of a van.

The defendant claims he initially wanted to drive straight to the police station. Kennedy allegedly told him, “No, no, you can’t. They won’t believe you.” She then referenced the Taylor Swift song “No Body, No Crime” and urged him to get rid of the bodies straight away.

Lamarre-Condon stated that he warned Kennedy she could be charged as an accessory to murder. He said she agreed to help because he would assist her in the future if she ever needed it. The pair then drove to a farm in Bungonia where they poured concrete into bags containing the victims to help them sink.

Kennedy gave evidence last week and denied having a major role in the process. She told the court, “I didn’t know anything.” She described herself as five foot and weighing 55 kilos, arguing that she could not have carried a body even if she tried. She said she waited at a gate while Lamarre-Condon drove out of sight to a dam.

The two accounts clash on specific details. Lamarre-Condon says Kennedy played the Swift song on her phone and laughed at the situation. He also alleges she used his pocketknife to cut holes in a surfboard cover, an action he links to knife wounds found on Luke Davies. Kennedy countered that Lamarre-Condon played the song and denied helping to sink the bodies.

Lamarre-Condon handed himself into police on 23 February 2024 at 10.37am. A recording of his call to a police assistance line earlier that morning was played for the jury. In the clip, he reported anxiety and symptoms of schizophrenia. He told the operator that he had been exposed to trauma and was severely bullied while in the force.

The defendant said in the recording that detectives were already aware he was being driven to a central police station. The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.