Jealous phone tampering escalated to alleged murder
Tom Wark |
A police officer repeatedly manufactured meetings with his ex to keep tabs on him before he escalated to plotting his murder, a jury has heard.
Beau Lamarre-Condon will face the second day of his months-long murder trial on Tuesday where prosecutors will finish laying out his elaborate plan for allegedly killing his former partner Jesse Baird in February 2024.
The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Baird and his new partner Luke Davies, and to breaking into their house six months earlier to steal Mr Baird’s phone and wallet.
Mr Baird’s phone was a repeated subject of Lamarre-Condon’s obsession during their relationship in early 2023, prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC told the jury on Monday.
“The accused admitted to a number of people … that he on a number of occasions surreptitiously accessed Mr Baird’s phone,” Mr Hatfield said.
“He could see whether Mr Baird was exchanging messages with other men … he would delete messages from people he believed to be romantic rivals.”
Friends of Mr Baird suddenly found they could not contact him with no explanation, the prosecutor alleged.
After the pair split in April, Lamarre-Condon’s infatuation allegedly became sinister.
The jury will hear evidence the police officer began to follow Mr Baird around Sydney’s eastern suburbs and confect situations for the two to supposedly bump into each other, Mr Hatfield said.
Lamarre-Condon also allegedly abused his position as a police officer to obtain CCTV from a pub to see who Mr Baird was meeting with.
Several months later – when the pair had briefly resumed seeing each other – Lamarre-Condon allegedly posted an Instagram story with an internet picture of a bunch of flowers and a message implying Mr Baird had sent them.
However, the implication was false and Mr Baird could not see the post – only those Lamarre-Condon believed to be romantic rivals could.
When Mr Baird found out about the ruse, Lamarre-Condon allegedly rushed a florist to make an identical bouquet and took a photo of them with his mother, telling Mr Baird the post referred to her.
The act of deception was the catalyst for the final breakdown in the relationship, which ended with Lamarre-Condon allegedly shooting Mr Baird and his new partner and disposing of their bodies.
Mr Hatfield will conclude his opening address on Tuesday before Lamarre-Condon’s barrister has a chance to address the jury.
The trial continues.
AAP