The celeb-chasing cop charged with the double murder of Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies allegedly bought an angle grinder, padlock and weights with the help of a ‘female acquaintance’ before travelling to a rural property now being scoured by police divers.
NSW Police Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with two counts of murder after allegedly using his police pistol to shoot dead Mr Baird, 26, and his partner Mr Davies, 29, in a Paddington home in Sydney’s east on Monday last week.
Police revealed on Monday that four minutes after the first shots were fired a triple-0 call was made from Mr Baird’s phone but it disconnected.
Police set up a crime scene at a property off Hazelton Road at Bungonia in the NSW Southern Tablelands, about 185km south-west of Sydney, not far from Goulburn on Sunday afternoon.
Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson told reporters on Monday morning that Lamarre-Condon had made ‘partial admissions to a female acquaintance’ the day after the alleged killings before buying an angle grinder and a padlock.
He later bought weights before allegedly returning to the rural Bungonia property, which has four dams, at night.
But police also admitted that Lamarre-Condon may have subsequently returned to the property to move the bodies after the female acquaintance became suspicious.
‘We can confirm that last Monday, a week ago, the 19th of February, gunshots were heard from the Paddington address,’ Mr Hudson said.
‘Later that evening, we will allege that the accused hired a white HiAce van from Sydney airport.
NSW Police Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon (pictured below) was charged with two counts of murder after allegedly using his police pistol to shoot dead Jesse Baird (above, right), 26, and his partner Luke Davies (left), 29, in a Paddington home in Sydney’s east on Monday last week
Beau Lamarre-Condon (pictured), the former partner of Baird, is understood to be refusing to tell investigators where the bodies are located
Cops have set up a crime scene at a dam off Hazelton Road at Bungonia, around 185 km south-west of Sydney in NSW’s Southern Tablelands (pictured)
Police were seen searching a number of dams and bushland on the remote property (pictured)
‘On Tuesday the 20th of February we will allege that partial admissions were made by the accused to an acquaintance of having been involved in the death of two individuals.’
The following day, police launched a major manhunt after bloodied clothing belonging to Mr Baird and Mr Davies was found in a skip in Cronulla.
‘I can indicate that on that same day, the Wednesday, the accused we believe attended Bungonia area with an acquaintance who was not involved in anything,’ Mr Hudson added.
The female acquaintance, who was described as a ‘long-term friend of the accused’ and an ‘innocent agent’, is currently assisting police with their enquiries.
‘We believe that that acquaintance assisted the accused in purchasing an angle grinder and a padlock from a local hardware store in that area before driving to a rural property in Bungonia,’ Mr Hudson added.
Police allege the angle grinder was used to sever a padlock on a gate at the property before being replaced with the one bought at the hardware store.
Police allege Lamarre-Condon then disappeared in the HiAce van for half an hour, leaving the acquaintance on her own before returning to pick her up.
‘I can indicate that at 11 pm that evening, weights were purchased from a department store by the accused and it is believed that he returned to that rural property overnight and during that evening, having acquired also two torches from the acquaintance,’ Mr Hudson said.
Lamarre-Condon was seen leaving the Bungonia area at about 4.30am the following day, police allege.
He then allegedly travelled to Newcastle where he asked another acquaintance to use their hose to clean the HiAce van.
Early on Friday morning he returned to Sydney where he later handed himself into Bondi Police Station.
But Deputy Commissioner Hudson admitted that police were still examining the possibility that Lamarre-Condon may have returned to the rural property to remove the bodies.
‘It would appear that the accused was suspicious of the acquaintance that attended with him and about her beliefs of what he might have been up to and very likely may have returned to those bodies later that evening,’ Mr Hudson said.
‘In that case, we believe that he may have moved them.’
He added: ‘The accused has not disclosed where Jesse and Luke are – where he has (allegedly) disposed of them.
‘But it is our number one priority at this moment to try and locate Jesse and Luke to give the family some solace.’
Deputy Commissioner Hudson revealed that Lamarre-Condon had spoken to two acquaintances in the days after the killing, one of who was a former police officer.
‘There are two acquaintances that we believe the accused spoke to. One was a former officer, the other was not,’ Mr Hudson said.
It is not clear if the female acquaintance who accompanies him to the rural property was an ex-cop.
Divers are expected to search a series of dams on the Hazelton Road property and search neighbouring bushland for signs of evidence.
The rural road is lined with acreages, with the search area just metres away from a sheep and olive farm.
Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson (pictured) told reporters on Monday morning that Lamarre-Condon had made ‘partial admissions to a female acquaintance’ the day after the alleged killings before buying an angle grinder and a padlock
Police allege the angle grinder was used to sever a padlock on a gate at the property before being replaced with the one bought at the hardware store (pictured: police search the rural property on Monday)
A tow truck removed a small boat during a search on Monday (pictured)
But Deputy Commissioner Hudson admitted that police were still examining the possibility that Lamarre-Condon may have returned to the rural property to remove the bodies (pictured: police search bushland on the property)
The property owner, who lives in Melbourne, described it as a ‘weekend farm’ and said no one was present there last week.
‘The police are just following a lead. They rang me yesterday (Sunday) to request access to my site and all my neighbours,’ the property owner told Daily Mail .
He revealed there were four dams on the plot of land.
When asked if Lamarre-Condon had any known links to the site the property owner said: ‘None at all – they are just following leads’.
However, Deputy Commissioner Hudson indicated that the alleged killer may have bene in a relationship with someone connected to the property in the past.
Divers had previously been seen searching a waterway at Lambton, Newcastle.
Deputy Commissioner Hudson also revealed that there was a triple-0 call made from Mr Baird’s phone minutes after shots were heard but it was disconnected.
‘I can indicate on Monday, four minutes after the first shots were fired there was a 000 call made from Jesse’s phone, however it disconnected,’ Mr Hudson said.
Police have investigated multiple crime scene locations in Sydney, as well as others north and south of the city
He also said that they believed the relationship between Mr Baird and the accused ‘ended badly’ and they were speaking to friends about some of Lamarre-Condon’s subsequent behaviour.
‘We believe the accused had attended Jesse’s home address,’ Mr Hudson said.
‘We believe he had utilised a key to enter those premises. We believe that he took possession of Jesse’s phone and deleted contacts and messages out of that phone before leaving the premises.
He added: ‘We are piecing this together through witnesses. None of this was reported to police at the time.’
Deputy Commissioner Hudson indicated that some of Lamarre-Condon’s actions in the weeks after he and Mr Baird broke up could be described as ‘predatory behaviour’.
Cops reveal ‘no-one’ has told them where Jesse Baird, Luke Davies’ bodies are
Police Commissioner Karen Webb told the Kyle and Jackie O Show on Monday morning the dams weren’t the only area being searched.
‘That’s not necessarily the only search area. It’s not definitive that’s the location where the bodies are.
‘No one has come forward to help us locate the bodies.’
The commissioner also addressed a report that Mr Baird saw a shadowy figure at the foot of his bed in the weeks before his death.
Ms Webb said: ‘It doesn’t look like that was reported to police.’
As Lamarre-Condon, the former partner of Mr Baird, is allegedly refusing to tell investigators where the bodies are located, police are relying on CCTV, toll road payments and GPS mobile data to piece together the events in the days after the alleged double murder.
Divers are expected to search a series of dams on the Hazelton Road property and search neighbouring bushland for signs of evidence (pictured)
The property owner, who lives in Melbourne , described it as a ‘weekend farm’ and said no one was present there last week. There are four dams on the property (three largest are circled)
Police are relying on CCTV, toll road payments and GPS mobile data, to piece together the events in the days after the alleged double murder (pictured: an officer at the crime scene on Sunday night)
‘Divers from the Marine Area Command were called to the scene and have today been assisting with a search at the location,’ a spokesperson for NSW police said on Sunday night. The search resumed at first light on Monday
It is believed Lamarre-Condon also travelled to Cronulla, Newcastle and Grays Point in the days after the alleged murders.
According to court documents, Mr Baird and Mr Davies were both allegedly killed by Lamarre-Condon at Baird’s Paddington terrace house between 12.01am and 5.30pm on Monday.
The shooting allegedly occurred just hours after they were last seen alive at a pre-Mardi Gras party night on Sunday at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills.
Neighbours said they heard arguing from the Paddington house early on Monday morning.
Later on Monday evening, Lamarre-Condon hired a white van from Mascot and allegedly used it to dispose of the couple’s bodies, police said.
Lamarre-Condon has been charged with two counts of murder and has been remanded in custody at Silverwater Correctional Complex while his matter remains before the courts.
Detectives and forensics officers are still scouring the state to find the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies
READ MORE: Chilling decoy texts cop Beau Lamarre-Condon ‘sent from dead Channel 10 presenter’s phone’
Detectives were told by family and friends of Jesse Baird (pictured) was bombarded with text messages and phone calls in the months after ending his relationship with Beau Lamarre-Condon
Lamarre-Condon previously dated Mr Baird but had broken up in recent months, with Mr Baird announcing his relationship with his new boyfriend in recent weeks.
Family and friends of Mr Baird told police they were deeply concerned about the behaviour of Lamarre-Condon in the lead-up to the Channel 10 presenter’s death.
During the course of the investigation, police were told Lamarre-Condon bombarded Mr Baird with calls and text messages for months after their relationship ended.
Superintendent Doherty said there had been no ‘warning flags’ or complaints raised with police since the pair split but that in the course of their inquiries it has since ‘been documented that there was some worrying behaviour that has been alleged by family and friends’.
Lamarre-Condon once found fame as celebrity chaser and has been pictured stars including Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa and Harry Styles.
He did not apply for bail during his court appearance on Friday and will appear again on April 23.
On Sunday, Commissioner Webb issued a heartfelt statement in which she called on the community to ‘have patience’ as police continue their investigation.
She also said she had been left saddened and shocked by the deaths.
‘I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird. It is difficult to comprehend the grief and pain of their loss,’ she said.
Police sources said Lamarre-Condon used Mr Baird’s phone to text his housemates after killing the pair to fake an impending interstate move
‘I acknowledge this week’s events are distressing for many and I share the sadness and shock about the alleged nature of Luke and Jesse’s deaths.
‘I understand there are many unanswered questions and while I cannot comment on the matter before the courts, I can reassure Luke and Jesse’s loved ones, and the people of New South Wales, that we are working around the clock to find those answers.’
She also urged anyone with information to contact police.