Lamarre-Condon blames friend for directing body disposal in double murder trial

Beau Lamarre-Condon told a jury on Tuesday that a friend encouraged him to dispose of two bodies immediately after a shooting, a claim that directly contradicts the testimony she provided the previous week. The 31-year-old former police officer is on trial for the fatal shooting of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in their Paddington home on 19 February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter, while his legal team argues the shots were accidental and that he acted in self-defence.

Lamarre-Condon’s statement, read into the record by prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, places the friend, known to the court as Elizabeth Kennedy, at the center of the disposal. According to the defendant, he picked up Kennedy two days after the alleged murders. He claimed she thought they were going to lunch when he collected her. He alleged that he showed her the bodies in the back of a van and began to cry. He stated that he told Kennedy he should drive straight to the police, but she reportedly replied that they had to get rid of the bodies straight away because the police would not believe him.

The defendant said Kennedy invoked Taylor Swift’s song 'No Body, No Crime' during their drive. Lamarre-Condon alleged that Kennedy played the track on her phone and laughed at the situation. He claimed she helped carry the bodies to a farm in Bungonia and poured concrete into bags to help them sink in a dam. He stated that when the bags did not sink, Kennedy used his pocketknife to cut holes in the surfboard cover, which he said caused the knife wounds found on Davies’ leg. Lamarre-Condon described her as a willing participant who never said she wanted to leave.

Kennedy’s testimony last week offered a different account. She told the court she did not know about the bodies and did not help carry them. Under questioning by barrister John Stratton SC, she noted her physical stature and said she did not think she could carry a body even if she tried. She claimed she waited at a gate while Lamarre-Condon drove to the dam. Kennedy also disputed the defendant’s claim that she played the Swift song, stating that Lamarre-Condon put the track on in the car.

The defendant explained to the court that he did not initially tell police about Kennedy’s involvement because she begged him not to. He said he told her that if the case went to court, he would have to tell the truth because he could not lie under oath. Lamarre-Condon handed himself into police on 23 February 2024 at 10:37am. Before turning himself in, he called a police assistance line to report a psychological injury. In a recording played for the jury, he identified himself and stated he was suffering from anxiety and symptoms of schizophrenia. He told the operator he had been exposed to trauma, destruction, and death, and that he had been severely bullied since joining the police force. He indicated he was on his way to a central police station and that the detectives were already aware of his situation.

The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.