The alleged murder of Jesse Baird was premeditated by Sen Const Beau Lamarre who also killed Luke Davies because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, New South Wales police will allege in court.
Assistant commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said police would allege that, initially, Baird was Lamarre’s sole intended target.
“We will be strongly claiming in our case that this murder was premeditated and the second murder occurred because of, unfortunately, Luke’s presence at the house,” Fitzgerald told the Nine Network on Wednesday evening.
Lamarre, 28, purchased a single surfboard bag from a shop in Miranda in Sydney’s south two days before the alleged murders at Baird’s Paddington home on Monday 19 February, Fitzgerald claimed. Police allege Lamarre intended to use it to transport Baird’s body.
(February 16, 2024) Friday
Lamarre allegedly took a force-issued handgun from storage at the Miranda police station in south Sydney.
Lamarre signed the gun to work at a “protest activity” happening on Sunday 18 February, police say. It is unclear whether he actually worked at the event.
It was a “user pays” event, where police officers work outside their normal hours.
Organisers pay for policing services at user pays events such as music festivals. However, in this case it was a rally, meaning the police paid out of their own budget because the NSW government doesn't charge people to protest.
(February 19, 2024) Monday
9.50am – Neighbours hear gunshots at Baird’s home in Paddington, police say. The shots were not reported to police until days later.
9.54am – An emergency call is made to triple zero from Davies’ phone but is terminated before being connected to an operator.
Later that evening – Lamarre allegedly hires a white Toyota HiAce van from Sydney airport.
(February 20, 2024) Tuesday
Lamarre allegedly makes “partial admissions” about the killings “to an acquaintance of having been involved in the deaths of two individuals”, police say.
Police allege at some point between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Lamarre drove the hired van to Cronulla and discarded some personal items of former TV presenter and AFL umpire Baird, 26, and Qantas flight attendant Davies, 29.
(February 21, 2024) Wednesday
11am – Bloodied clothing and personal items are found in a skip bin in Cronulla, which leads police to launch a missing person investigation. The homicide squad is notified.
1pm – Police discover a large amount of blood when examining Baird’s home in Paddington.
Later that afternoon – Investigators search Davies’ home in Waterloo.
During the same day – Police allege Lamarre attends a Bungonia property near Goulburn with an acquaintance. The acquaintance is described by police as “an innocent agent”.
Lamarre and the acquaintance allegedly buy an angle grinder and a padlock from a hardware store in the area before driving to the gates of the property in the NSW southern tablelands.
Lamarre allegedly cuts the padlock with the grinder and proceeds into the property in the hired van. The acquaintance says they wait at the entrance at the top of the property for about half an hour.
After Lamarre places a new padlock on the property’s gate, the pair drive back to Sydney later that afternoon, police say.
Police say the acquaintance who visited the property with Lamarre is a “long-term friend of the accused” and “we don’t believe she was fully aware of what had taken place”.
Detectives say they believe the Bungonia property was previously visited by Lamarre through a former relationship.
11pm – Lamarre allegedly buys weights from a department store.
Police allege Lamarre then returns to the rural property near Goulburn during that evening or overnight. Lamarre allegedly acquires two torches from the acquaintance before he returns.
(February 22, 2024) Thursday
4.30am – Lamarre allegedly leaves the Bungonia area again in the hired white van and drives back to Sydney.
It is believed Lamarre drove to the city and remained in that area before he attended another acquaintance’s home in Newcastle.
Lamarre didn’t disclose anything to this acquaintance but asked for access to a hose to clean the van, police allege.
11.30pm – Detectives say a third person – later identified as Lamarre – “may be able to assist with investigation”. They raid a home in Balmain thought to be connected to Lamarre.
(February 23, 2024) Friday
5am – Lamarre is believed to have stayed in the Newcastle area until early Friday morning.
6.15am – Lamarre returns to Sydney.
10.39am – Lamarre hands himself in at Bondi police station while wearing a black T-shirt and cap. A few hours later, police charge Lamarre with two counts of murder.
4pm – Lamarre appears before Waverley local court. He does not apply for bail and the matter is adjourned to 23 April.
(February 24, 2024) Saturday
Morning – Police search waterways in the Newcastle suburb of Lambton. Detectives believe Lamarre visited the city north of Sydney before turning himself in at Bondi.
(February 25, 2024) Sunday
Police, including specialist divers, begin searching the rural Bungonia property near Goulburn looking for the bodies of the missing Sydney couple. Divers scour the area and dams behind the home.
(February 26, 2024) Monday
The NSW deputy commissioner Dave Hudson provides more details of the police case against Lamarre.
These details include:
The Glock pistol Lamarre allegedly used for Monday’s murder may have been stored at the Balmain police station after the alleged shootings before being returned to storage at Miranda police station.
There were “approvals within the organisation for firearms to be stored at home as well”.
A break-in allegedly occurred at Baird’s house in August 2023 – at the time, Lamarre and Baird were still in some form of a relationship.
Police allege Lamarre sent messages using Baird’s phone pretending to be him after the alleged murders – telling his housemates he was potentially moving to Western Australia and to deal with his property.
Investigators allege Lamarre’s crimes followed months of “predatory behaviour” that culminated in the fatal double shooting.
(February 27, 2024) Tuesday
11am – Detectives interview Lamarre at Silverwater jail in western Sydney, where he is on remand.
1pm – Human remains found at Bungonia.
2pm – Investigators announce they have established a crime scene at a second property at Bungonia about 20 minutes from the first property.
3.30pm – The police commissioner, Karen Webb, says at a press conference “we believe we have located two bodies”. She says: “The families have been notified. We are very confident we have located Luke and Jesse.”
Webb says the discovery of the bodies was made with the assistance of the accused.
“Following the incidents and the [alleged] murders, he went back and bought a further surfboard cover,” Fitzgerald alleged.
The bodies of Baird, 26, and Davies, 29, were found on Tuesday inside separate surfboard bags on a rural property in Bungonia near Goulburn about 160km south-west of Sydney.
The men were allegedly shot by Lamarre with a police-issued firearm before their bodies were transported to the rural property.
Lamarre revealed the locations of the bodies on Tuesday morning during an interview with detectives at Silverwater prison where he is being held on remand.
The serving police officer allegedly contacted several friends – including a fellow member of the police force – in the days between the alleged murders and Friday when he turned himself in at Bondi police station, Fitzgerald said.
The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, has confirmed the accused has been served a notice for his dismissal from the force.
“I have signed – and it has been served … today in custody – a show-cause notice for his dismissal,” Webb told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Wednesday.
Investigators allege the murders followed a months-long campaign of “predatory behaviour” by the accused.
Meanwhile, former NSW police officer turned solicitor John Walford confirmed he had been engaged to represent Lamarre.
According to his online biography, Walford is a 20 year veteran of the force and a former senior investigator.
Walford said he was now awaiting a brief from police.
“Yes (I am) representing him at this time. We are awaiting the brief of evidence from police so the court process to table has begun.”
“This is a tragic set of circumstances for all concerned. We won’t be making a comment at this point of time as you could appreciate.”
Peter Murphy, who took part in the first Mardi Gras march in 1978, said LGBTQ+ communities were not immune from domestic and family violence.
But many gay and lesbian people were hesitant to report it to the police due to historical discrimination displayed by the force, he told AAP.
“Personal relationships, whatever genders are involved, can have an ugly side. I don’t think there’s enough training within the police on these matters and in the next few months I think we’ll see a fairly good effort from police – but it can fade off easily.”
The NSW Greens MP Amanda Cohn said sections of the LGBTQ+ community didn’t feel safe reporting threats or violence to the police.
“NSW police continuing to investigate themselves cannot deliver the meaningful change that is needed,” she said. “Only an independent review of the institutional approach to policing can deliver the transparency and accountability the community needs to build trust.”
