Former officer pleads not guilty

Beau Lamarre-Condon, a former NSW police officer, has pleaded not guilty to the February 2024 murders of Jesse Baird, his ex-partner, and Luke Davies, a TV presenter and Baird's new partner.

Gunshot wound shown to jury

Crime scene officer Greg Moon showed jurors closeup photographs of the gunshot wound sustained by Baird, walking the length of the jury box to individually show each juror pinprick marks around the wound known as stippling.

Stippling indicates close range

Moon explained that stippling, caused by particles coming out of a gun when fired, can indicate the distance between the gun and its target. The closer the firearm, the more condensed the stippling around the wound.

“The closer the firearm is to the target, the stippling will be quite condensed around the gunshot wound.”

Bodies found in paddleboard bags

The bodies were discovered inside two surfboard or standup paddleboard bags at a Greek monastery at Bungonia, about twenty kilometres away from Cella Farm. The smaller bag was zipped inside the larger one, with rocks and small branches placed on top.

Signs of decomposition found

Investigator Christine Abela detected a strong smell of decomposing body when she arrived at the rural property more than a week after the men were killed in summer two thousand twenty-four. A large number of maggots and insects were present in the bags.

“The scent of a decomposing body.”

Disposal attempt at farm

Investigators found concrete blocks, a gym weight and a cut padlock at Cella Farm, where Lamarre-Condon allegedly unsuccessfully attempted to sink the bodies in a dam. CCTV showed him buying a second surfboard bag and hiring a larger vehicle after the killings.

Trial continues for twelve weeks

The defence argues Lamarre-Condon's actions to dispose of the bodies at Bungonia, two hundred kilometres south of Sydney, were indicative of his panic about unexpected deaths. The twelve-week trial is ongoing.