Officer Messaged on Instagram After Alleged Murders

A Sydney police officer pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder after a four day disappearance that left investigators searching for him.

Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, faces charges for the killings of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies on 19 February 2024. Both victims were in their 20s. Prosecutors allege Lamarre-Condon shot Baird at close range and then killed Davies to remove a witness. The accused contends he acted in self defense while retrieving items from the inner city terrace.

Investigators attempted to locate the officer for four days after the incident. On 21 February, Constable Hayley Keefe sent a personal Instagram message to Lamarre-Condon at the request of a crime manager. The message read, “Hey hun … can you please contact the crime manager at eastern suburbs asap when you get a chance?” Keefe stated she deleted the message because she felt awkward using a personal account for official business. The message remained unread until the officer contacted authorities.

Lamarre-Condon called police on 22 February. He told Constable Kye Richards he was not avoiding them. “I just either want to let a detective or a sergeant know I am not avoiding them,” he said during a three minute call. He added, “Just tell them I will come in tomorrow.”

Before contacting police, Lamarre-Condon visited a friend known as Fiona Rosso. He arrived three days after the alleged murders, crying and stating he had “done something bad.” He explained he had put his phone on airplane mode. He scrubbed blood from the back of a white van parked outside her home using two buckets. His mother texted him the code word “hot chocolate” to signal that police had searched her residence.

Lamarre-Condon led officers to a rural property where the bodies were found inside surfboard bags. The New South Wales Supreme Court heard testimony from Constable Richards and Constable Keefe. Justice Natalie Adams presides over the trial. Lamarre-Condon’s offer to plead guilty to the manslaughter of Baird was rejected by prosecutors.