Former officer tells murder trial he did not intend to kill Jesse Baird

Beau Lamarre-Condon, a former police officer, has told his double-murder trial that he did not intend to kill Jesse Baird, and that the shooting was not intentional. He said "it was my fault". He gave this evidence on Friday 6 November 2026, his second day in the witness box at the New South Wales Supreme Court, a trial court in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Lamarre-Condon, who is 31, is accused of fatally shooting Baird and Luke Davies with his police service weapon in Baird's Paddington home in Sydney on 19 February 2024. Baird was Lamarre-Condon's former partner. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter, which refers to unlawful entry into a property with aggravating circumstances.

In his account, Lamarre-Condon said he went to Baird's home that day to retrieve his belongings, including a Cartier ring and a $2,000 shirt. He told the court he had disguised himself as an UberEats delivery rider to avoid interacting with Baird. He said he saw Baird sealing boxes with tape in one hand and a knife in the other, and that Baird pinned him against a wall with his left forearm while swinging the knife.

Lamarre-Condon said Baird lunged at him with the knife. He claimed he deliberately aimed at Baird's right shoulder because he believed the shot would not kill him, and that he shot Baird so Baird would drop the knife. He said he and Baird tripped over a storage box on the ground during the struggle. He told the court the first shot into the shoulder was the right move and that he stands by it.

He also described a second struggle. According to Lamarre-Condon, Davies picked up his gun and pointed it at him, and he claimed Davies shot himself during the fight over the weapon.

Lamarre-Condon told the court he later spoke with friends about shooting Baird and disposing of the bodies. He said he was afraid to go to police because he believed he would be killed in jail. He turned himself in on 27 February 2024, telling the court he needed to do the right thing. He also said he put Baird's phone on airplane mode and unplugged it.

Lamarre-Condon said he is "guilty of manslaughter" over Baird's death, manslaughter being a lesser offence than murder. He told the court Baird did nothing to deserve to be killed, and that he never had the intention of causing Baird physical harm.

The trial was adjourned for the day and is scheduled to resume at 10am on Monday.