Police officer sent 'Hey hun' Instagram message to Beau Lamarre-Condon after double murder

A police officer accused of double murder in Sydney told investigators he was not evading them, even after disappearing for four days following the killings.

Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, pleaded not guilty to the murders of his ex-partner, Jesse Baird, and Luke Davies, both in their 20s. The crimes occurred in an inner-city terrace house on 19 February 2024. Lamarre-Condon later guided officers to a rural property where the victims' bodies were discovered inside surfboard bags.

During a three-minute phone call on 22 February, Lamarre-Condon stated he wanted a detective or sergeant to know he was not avoiding police. He added that he would report to the station the next day. Const Kye Richards took the call, and his statement was read to the jury in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Thursday.

Const Hayley Keefe, a colleague and friend of the accused, attempted to reach him on 21 February via his personal Instagram account. A crime manager had asked her to make contact. She sent the message, 'Hey hun … can you please contact the crime manager at eastern suburbs asap when you get a chance?' The message remained unread. Keefe subsequently deleted it, noting in her statement that she felt awkward using personal social media for official business.

Lamarre-Condon had messaged a friend, known by the pseudonym Fiona Rosso, the morning before the alleged murders. He told her not to worry and that he had deleted all his social media accounts. Three days after the incident, he arrived at Rosso's home crying and said he had 'done something bad.' He explained that police had tried to reach him but he had set his phone to aeroplane mode. Witnesses testified that he scrubbed blood from the back of a white van parked outside using two buckets before spending the night at her house.

Rosso's testimony indicated that Lamarre-Condon's mother texted him the code word 'hot chocolate.' This signaled that police had searched her home following the killings. Lamarre-Condon later drove back to Sydney.

The prosecution argues Lamarre-Condon killed Baird at close range in an execution-style manner, driven by a jealous obsession. They claim he then shot Davies to remove a witness. The defendant maintains he acted in self-defense after entering the property to retrieve his belongings. Prosecutors rejected his offer to plead guilty to the manslaughter of Baird. The trial is presided over by Justice Natalie Adams.