The fabricated illness and its purpose
Months before the alleged killings, Lamarre‑Condon orchestrated an elaborate ruse to convince those around him that he was battling a life‑threatening tumour. According to the jury, he drafted a 1,600‑word Instagram note claiming he had a cancerous growth in his left shoulder joint, warning that amputation might be required. The text also described a regimen of powerful medication that, he asserted, would “throw off your hormones massively” and explain any erratic conduct.
He presented this story to Shae Davison, a close friend, while staying at her home after a heated argument with Jesse Baird. Davison recalled that Lamarre‑Condon “wore me down” and used “guilt‑tripping” to obtain her assistance. “He put a lot of pressure on me, he said he never asked anything of me, he’s so upset, can I help,” she recounted. The officer asked her to send a message to Baird as “one last try to win Jesse back,” but he concealed the medical details, insisting she not read them. When she eventually read the note, she asked him to delete parts that weren’t true, and he appeared to edit the text accordingly.
The fabricated narrative also attempted to justify Lamarre‑Condon’s intrusion into Baird’s phone, describing the act as “very out of character for him.” The note concluded with a plea for reconciliation: “There is real love there, trust can be built back on that,” it stated, “Even if you guys never hang out again, I know Beau wants to make things right.” Davison later learned that Lamarre‑Condon had not cleared the hospital visit portion of the story with her, nor had she accompanied him to Westmead Hospital.
A volatile romance and the fallout
Lamarre‑Condon’s relationship with Jesse Baird began briefly in late 2023, but it unraveled after the former officer accessed Baird’s mobile device. He deleted messages from other men, an act that left Baird feeling violated and prompted him to end the liaison in November 2023. The intrusion left Lamarre‑Condon “really upset,” Davison told the court, and he subsequently sought refuge at her residence, claiming he did not wish to be alone.
The following day he arrived with a backpack and requested that Davison forward an Instagram message to Baird, framing it as a final effort to win him back. He explicitly asked her not to read the content, citing medical confidentiality. When she hesitated, he employed emotional pressure: “He wore me down,” she said, describing it as “guilt‑tripping” and a manipulation of their friendship to achieve his ends. She agreed under the condition that Lamarre‑Condon read the text aloud, omitting the sensitive medical details.
After hearing the message, Davison asked him to edit portions that were untrue, and she observed him typing and applying her changes. The edited note was then sent, with a stipulation that she could read it only after 4 December 2023, when he claimed surgery was imminent. Lamarre‑Condon left her home about an hour after arriving, leaving Davison to wonder whether Baird had seen the messages via Instagram’s preview function. Later, at his request, she attempted to unsend the communications, an action she performed despite feeling uneasy about the content.
The murder charges and the defence narrative
Lamarre‑Condon, now 31, faces two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. The killings occurred on 19 February 2024, when he is alleged to have shot Jesse Baird, aged 26, and his partner Luke Davies, aged 29, at Baird’s Paddington terrace using a police service weapon. The prosecution contends that the officer entered the residence after disguising himself as an Uber Eats driver, a claim the defence disputes.
The defence team has advanced a self‑defence argument, asserting that Lamarre‑Condon acted under perceived threat when he gained entry to the home. They maintain that the officer’s prior actions, including the fabricated cancer story, were not part of a premeditated plan but rather a response to a confrontational encounter with Baird. The trial, presided over by Justice Natalie Adams, continues as the jury hears testimony about the alleged deception and its timing relative to the murders.
Trial progress and legal implications
Friday’s proceedings featured Davison’s testimony, which shed light on the extent of Lamarre‑Condon’s manipulation. She described how she felt pressured into helping him craft and disseminate the false medical narrative, a factor the prosecution argues demonstrates premeditation. The court also heard that Lamarre‑Condon later asked Davison to unsend the messages, suggesting an awareness of their incriminating nature.
Uncertainties remain about whether Baird ever read the Instagram note. Davison testified that it was “possible he had seen them through Instagram’s preview function,” but she could not confirm direct receipt. The judge has indicated that further witnesses, including forensic experts and possibly former colleagues of Lamarre‑Condon, will be called to clarify the timeline of events leading up to the shootings.
Why it Matters
This case raises profound questions about the integrity of law‑enforcement officers and the safeguards meant to protect the public from those who abuse their authority. If proven, the alleged fabrication of a terminal illness to mask erratic behaviour underscores a disturbing pattern of manipulation that culminated in the loss of two young lives. The trial’s outcome will influence how courts assess credibility in cases involving police defendants and may prompt a re‑examination of protocols governing officer conduct, especially in contexts involving personal relationships and potential conflicts of interest.
