Court hears covert prison recording of murder suspect Beau Lamarre-Condon apologising to friend
A secretly recorded conversation between former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon and a friend, captured during a prison visit, was presented as evidence in his double-murder trial in Sydney.
A covert audio recording of former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon speaking with a friend during a prison visit was played to a New South Wales Supreme Court jury on Monday. In the December-year conversation, Lamarre-Condon told the friend, "I fully take accountability that you’re involved because of me now," and discussed details of the February 19, 2024 shooting that left Jesse Baird and Luke Davies dead in Baird’s Paddington home.
Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break-and-enter. The friend, whose identity is suppressed, testified that Lamarre-Condon described the incident as an "out-of-body experience" before attempting to treat the admission as a joke. The recording also captured Lamarre-Condon denying that the entry into the home constituted a break-and-enter, claiming he had a key cut for the property and entered as a former partner retrieving belongings.
During the conversation, Lamarre-Condon said he would have acted differently if the killings had been pre-planned, stating he would have been "cool, calm, collected" and would not have used a police firearm. He also mentioned the possibility of obtaining another gun for $10,000. The suspect disclosed that he had visited Royal National Park earlier in the year to test gun noise, indicating a contemplated suicide, and said he was experiencing suicidality linked to work-related trauma.
The friend, who recorded the discussion on behalf of police, expressed frustration and threatened to leave the conversation multiple times. Justice Natalie Adams is presiding over the ongoing trial.