{
  "id": 18535074,
  "title": "What we learnt from murder accused's first appearance in witness box",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/what-we-learnt-from-murder-accuseds-first-appearance-in-witness-box",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T17:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-07/what-beau-lamarre-said-in-sydney-court-double-murder-trial-/107356626"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The trial of former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon began with his testimony in the witness box on Thursday, marking a significant stage in the double murder case against him. Lamarre-Condon, now 31, recounted his career, detailing the harassment he faced, including homophobic slurs and comments from a superior. He described working on around 12 to 15 cases involving dead bodies, recalling the vivid memories of suicides and the struggles he faced with colleagues who took their own lives.\n\nOutside of work, Lamarre-Condon admitted to a romantic relationship with Jesse Baird, whom he met in late 2022. The court heard about the pair's relationship, which initially began as friends with a sexual relationship, later evolving into a romantic one. However, their relationship had its share of troubles, including two instances of parting ways - in April 2023 and November 2023.\n\nThe prosecution alleges that Lamarre-Condon murdered Baird and his new boyfriend, Luke Davies, in Baird's Paddington share house in February 2024. Lamarre-Condon, however, maintains his innocence, claiming it was self-defence. He also denies a charge of aggravated break and enter related to an alleged break-in at Baird's home in August 2023.\n\nDuring his testimony, Lamarre-Condon admitted to going to Baird's house upon Baird's invitation for a morning run. He claimed he entered Baird's home to check if Baird was in a relationship with anyone else, and then panicked, running out when he realized his mistake. He said he didn't realize he still had Baird's wallet and phone in his hand, and that he panicked and ran, not knowing that Mr Baird had chased him outside, believing he was someone else.\n\nLamarre-Condon testified that he had been planning to take his own life by February 2024 due to constant harassment from various police officers. He testified that on the night of the alleged murders, he wanted to retrieve personal belongings and a surfboard from Baird's share house. He said he went to a hire car depot with his mother to get a car, planning to retrieve the items, return his police pistol to a station, and submit a leave form to take time off. According to his account, he arrived at the terrace, saw the housemates leave for work, went to a cafe, and came across an Uber Eats delivery in a hi-vis jacket, leading to his plan to enter the house without facing accusations of harassment.",
  "summary": "Former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon gave evidence for the first time at his murder trial, detailing his account of what happened at Brown Street on February 2024.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}