Beau Lamarre‑Condon, a former NSW police officer, appeared before Justice Natalie Adams in the Supreme Court at Sydney’s historic King Street complex, formally denying two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break‑and‑enter related to the February 2024 shooting deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies at Baird’s eastern suburbs home.
The charges also include the alleged theft of a mobile phone and wallet belonging to Baird during the August 2023 break‑in, to which Lamarre‑Condon also entered a not‑guilty plea.
Justice Adams addressed the pool of potential jurors before selection, indicating that the trial could run for up to twelve weeks, underscoring the complexity and seriousness of the case.
Fifteen jurors were empanelled on Monday afternoon, and the judge set the schedule for the day: introductory remarks to the jury at 1:45 p.m., followed by the Crown’s opening address after 2 p.m.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield, SC, is slated to deliver the opening statement, which is expected to last about two hours, after which defence barrister John Stratton, SC, will present the defence’s opening remarks.
Members of the public and anyone affected by the proceedings are reminded that support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) and the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.