Former NSW officer claims friend urged him to hide bodies during double murder trial

Beau Lamarre-Condon, a former New South Wales police officer, has told the court that he intended to inform police about the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies but was persuaded by a friend to conceal the bodies. Lamarre-Condon, 31, is on trial for the fatal shooting of the two men at Baird’s Paddington home on 19 February 2024 and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter. His defence maintains the shootings were accidental and occurred in self-defence.

The friend, identified in the proceedings as Elizabeth Kennedy, testified that she believed she was being taken for lunch when she was picked up two days after the alleged killings. Kennedy denied assisting Lamarre-Condon and said she was unaware of any wrongdoing.

In a statement read to the court, Lamarre-Condon alleged that after showing Kennedy the bodies in a van, he began to cry and considered driving directly to police. He said Kennedy responded that they could not go to police because “they won’t believe you” and referenced a Taylor Swift song, after which she allegedly helped him move the bodies and attempted to sink them in a farm dam.

"I should just drive straight to the police now, shouldn’t I?" Lamarre-Condon recounted asking.

"No, no, you can’t. They won’t believe you. This is like Taylor Swift’s song, No Body, No Crime. We have to get rid of them straight away," he said Kennedy replied, according to his statement.

Lamarre-Condon claimed he warned Kennedy that she could be charged as an accessory and that she agreed to help because she believed he would reciprocate if she ever needed assistance. He also said Kennedy played the Swift song in the car and laughed during the drive.

Kennedy contradicted these allegations, stating she did not willingly assist and could not physically carry a body. She said she waited at a gate while Lamarre-Condon drove to a dam and that he, not she, played the song.

Justice Natalie Adams is presiding over the trial, which continues as both parties present their evidence.