Bloody print matches shoe found with bodies, jury told
Tom Wark |
A shoeprint found on bloodied bedding matched a pair of shoes found 200km away where the bodies of AFL umpire Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies were found, a jury has heard.
Hundreds of photos of the blood-stained aftermath of the two men’s deaths have dominated senior constable Beau Lamarre-Condon’s trial for their murders.
The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the February 2024 murders, saying the two men died of gunshot wounds sustained in two separate violent struggles in Mr Baird’s Sydney home.
Forensic evidence regarding belongings found in a bowling club skip bin has been shown to the 15-member jury, including numerous photos of items allegedly with the blood of Mr Baird and Mr Davies.
Bed sheets, clothes and a chest of drawers allegedly with the DNA of the two men was found by police in the overflowing bin, crime scene officer Bronwyn Lansley said.
On one of the bedsheets, a footprint can be identified in the dried blood which matched the tread of a pair of Adidas shoes found in Bungonia, where the two men’s bodies were discovered, Senior Sergeant Lansley said.
Also among the dumped items were a set of four heavily stained AFL goal umpiring flags and league-branded shorts still in their packaging, the jury heard.
Mr Baird umpired in 62 AFL games including two finals during his four-year career in league football.
Sen Sgt Lansley agreed under cross-examination from defence barrister John Stratton SC that DNA belonging to Mr Davies was found on the grip and trigger of Lamarre-Condon’s police pistol used to kill both men.
Mr Davies accidentally killed himself when a deadly struggle occurred, Mr Stratton previously suggested.
“(Lamarre-Condon) never planned to kill or ever cause any harm to anyone at (the house),” Mr Stratton said of the defendant.
“His case was it was in self-defence.”
Bullets and significant traces of blood were found throughout Mr Baird’s Paddington house, with a lot of the evidence discovered underneath the floorboards.
Three cars, two hired by Lamarre-Condon and his personal vehicle, were also extensively examined by forensic investigators with numerous blood stains found, Sen Sgt Lansley testified.
Lamarre-Condon allegedly noticed the skip bin as a place to dump the belongings when driving past the day after killing the two men, prosecutors say.
The trial continues on Thursday.
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AAP