Cop charged with murder after disappearance of lovers
Samantha Lock |
A serving police officer has been charged with the murders of an ex-Network Ten reporter and his flight attendant partner as detectives desperately search for the missing men’s bodies.
Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, who goes by the name Beau Lamarre, handed himself in at Bondi police station in Sydney’s east soon after 10.30am on Friday.
By 3pm, the 28-year-old senior constable was charged with two counts of murder following the disappearance of reporter Jesse Baird, 26, and Qantas attendant Luke Davies, 29.
The pair has not been heard from since Monday, triggering a police search for Sen Const Lamarre, who previously dated Mr Baird.
The officer appeared in Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon. Bail was not applied for and he will reappear in Downing Centre on April 23.
The disappearance of the men was treated as suspicious after possessions belonging to both of them were found in a skip bin in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on Wednesday.
The discovery led police to Mr Baird’s blood-smeared share house, about 30km away in inner-city Paddington.
Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty said investigators found a discharged gunshot round at the home and it had been matched to a NSW Police firearm.
CCTV footage captured from a neighbouring property showed a white van outside Mr Baird’s house shortly before the couple disappeared.
The van, a Toyota HiAce, was hired from Mascot on Monday night and used to move the bodies of the two men to an unknown location after the duo were killed at the Paddington house, Detective Superintendent Doherty said.
Detectives have appealed for information about the movements of the van, which has NSW registration CW82PM, since Monday evening.
“We’re trying to get a timeline of movements, the locations where it’s travelled and anyone who’s been seen in the van from Monday night to this morning,” Det Supt Doherty said.
Officers executed a search warrant and seized a number of items from a home at Balmain, in Sydney’s inner west, about 11.30pm on Thursday.
Property records reportedly indicate the home was purchased under the name Lamarre.
Neighbours heard shouting at Mr Baird’s Paddington home on Monday before a large amount of blood was found at the property on Wednesday.
Det Supt Doherty said the charged officer had been in a relationship with Mr Baird until a few months ago.
“That will be an obvious line of inquiry in relation to a domestic-style incident,” he said.
Mr Baird’s family and friends had reported “worrying behaviour” in the relationship, but it had never been reported to police, Det Supt Doherty said.
The missing man’s WhatsApp account was active as late as Tuesday night, but police are unsure who had the phone at the time.
“Who actually had attributed use of that phone we’re still establishing,” Det Supt Doherty said.
Snr Const Lamarre, who up until days ago had an active social media presence, joined the police force in 2019.
Photos posted online show the former celebrity blogger posing with dozens of A-listers including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles.
During a 2014 Lady Gaga concert, now-Snr Const Lamarre threw a note at the singer describing her as his “saviour”.
Gaga read the note aloud, which said: “through your music, you have helped and will continue to set free many people … Gaga, you’re not just my idol but literally my saviour”.
Footage of the recently graduated officer tasering a man at close range in Darlinghurst went viral in 2020, prompting an internal review.
An investigation later cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Mr Baird previously worked as a presenter on the morning program Studio 10, while lately he had taken to the field as a goal umpire for AFL and VFL games.
Photos from his and Mr Davies’ social media accounts show the couple together at a Pink concert in Sydney during the week before their disappearance.
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