Jesse Baird told friends of ‘shadowy figure in his bedroom’ late at night


Investigators are also speaking with Baird’s friends about any other interactions or events that went unreported in the lead-up to their disappearance on Monday.

Lamarre-Condon is charged with two counts of murder.

Police suspect the alleged double homicide carries hallmarks of a domestic violence murder.

Those concerns have been echoed in Sydney’s LGBTQ community.

Prominent LGBTQ organisations have highlighted the issue of domestic violence in the gay community since news broke of the deaths.

Investigators are urging anyone with information about domestic violence to contact police on Crime Stoppers.

The revelations come as police commissioner Karen Webb urged the public to be patient as police work “around the clock” in the search for evidence surrounding the deaths of the couple, whose bodies are yet to be recovered.

Detectives re-entered Baird’s Paddington home on Sunday morning and divers have scoured a waterway in Newcastle.

Police charged Lamarre-Condon with the murder of the two young men after the 28-year-old youth engagement officer handed himself in to Bondi police station on Friday morning.

Police are investigating Lamarre-Condon’s contact with relatives in the days following the alleged murders. Central to their questions will be his movements and what he revealed to family or friends.

He was staying at his mother’s home in Balmain before turning himself in.

Loading

In a statement, Webb extended her “heartfelt condolences” to Davies’ and Baird’s families and friends.

Webb acknowledged there were “many unanswered questions” about what happened to the couple, but wrote that she could “reassure Luke and Jesse’s loved ones, and the people of NSW, that we are working around the clock to find those answers”.

About 9.45am on Sunday, two detectives wearing gloves entered Baird’s Paddington share house, where police discovered large amounts of blood and upturned furniture on Wednesday.

The detectives emerged from the home with several large brown paper evidence bags. They carried the bags past flower arrangements left by mourners outside the home and placed them in the boot and back seat of their car. The detectives departed about 11.20am.

Detectives arrived with an empty boot and left after collecting multiple bags of evidence from the home.

Detectives arrived with an empty boot and left after collecting multiple bags of evidence from the home.Credit: Edwina Pickles

Police previously said they have matched a projectile also found at the home to Lamarre-Condon’s Glock service pistol, which was allegedly returned to a locker at a police station after being fired.

On Saturday, a street in Lambton in suburban Newcastle remained sealed off as police divers in wetsuits searched a small waterway nearby on their hands and knees, the ABC reported.

NSW Police confirmed the search was in relation to the white van Lamarre-Condon allegedly hired from Mascot on Monday and drove to Newcastle on Thursday night.

Before his alleged trip north, police believe Lamarre-Condon made other stops around the city’s south.

A worker discovered bloodied clothes, a phone and credit cards in a skip bin just a few metres from Cronulla police station following Baird and Davies’ deaths.

The discovery of the items on Wednesday morning triggered an investigation and later that day police declared Baird’s Paddington terrace a crime scene. Since the crime scene closed, mourners have adorned the fence of the terrace with bouquets of flowers.

Mourners have also shown their support via a GoFundMe page set up by a friend of Davies to raise money for his family and funeral expenses.

The fundraiser has passed $50,000 in donations, with more than 700 people around the world chipping in.

The description on the site reads: “There was never a dull moment when [Davies’] presence and infectious laugh was in a room.”

Flowers were laid outside the Paddington home on Sunday morning.

Flowers were laid outside the Paddington home on Sunday morning.Credit: Edwina Pickles

Alison Leutchford, the principal of Loyola College in Melbourne’s northern suburbs where Jesse Baird attended high school from 2010 to 2015, described him as a “much-loved member of the school community”.

“School staff fondly remember Jesse playing the lead role of Danny Zuko in the school production of Grease, and his many years playing Aussie Rules football for the College.”

Sydney independent MP Alex Greenwich acknowledged the tragedy at a Saturday dawn memorial for victims and survivors of LGBTQ hate crimes, saying it was “taking too damn long for NSW to become a safe place for the LGBTQ community”.

He has also questioned how Lamarre-Condon was allegedly able to take a service pistol to Baird’s Paddington home.

“What are the protocols in place to make sure that this doesn’t happen again? I think it would be appropriate for the police to do an urgent review,” Greenwich said on Nine News.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the government would consider any recommendations that emerge from the investigation after he was asked about the adequacy of mental health assessments for police officers.

“We’ve got to allow the court system and the criminal investigation to take its [course] … If further recommendations come down the track on ways in which we can improve those assessments, then I’m confident the government will implement them,” Park said at a press conference on Sunday.

On Saturday night, Baird’s cousin remembered him as “one in a million”.

“I am beyond devastated. I still can’t believe it. Most of my favourite memories in life were me Luke, Brendan and you riding motorbikes, skiing, boating and camping,” Austin Baird wrote on Facebook.

“I’ll never forget our chats, all the times we would hang out on the weekends and go away with family and friends.”

Friends of Luke Davies said he had a keen sense of adventure and was excited to be travelling the world with his new job as a flight attendant for Qantas.

Loading

“He felt very lucky. He was a kind, beautiful soul with a cheeky smile and adored by his friends,” Davies’ friend Rory Grant said. “I can’t believe he’s gone. What a tragic waste.”

With the Mardi Gras parade to march down Oxford Street in less than a week, on March 2, some members of Sydney’s gay community have questioned whether it’s appropriate for NSW Police to host its usual float.

The Herald has reached out to Mardi Gras Organisers to ask if the police float will be included in the parade, but they are yet to confirm an official stance on the issue.

QLIFE – Anonymous and free peer support to LBTQ+ communities. 1800RESPECT – Confidential counselling and support services. Lifeline –131 114. Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636



Also Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celebrity News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Searching for gold, miners discover a frozen baby mammoth

About a half-hour before his lunch break one June morning, Travis Mudry…

The Most Iconic Catchphrases From The Housewives Franchise

Kenya Moore is a former Miss USA, a mother, an entrepreneur, and…

Shawn Laval Smith stabbed Brianna Kupfer 26 times! So why has woke DA suspended criminal proceedings?

In January 2022, UCLA student Brianna Kupfer was brutally murdered after being…

Who Is Sumner Stroh? Learn About the Model Who Claimed to Have an Affair With Adam Levine

In a bombshell confession, Sumner Stroh claimed that she and Adam Levine…