The Case of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

Jesse Baird, 26, a television presenter, and Luke Davies, 29, a Qantas flight attendant, were killed in Sydney on February 19, 2024, according to the prosecution case currently before the NSW Supreme Court. The men had recently begun a relationship and were last known to be at Baird's Paddington home. After blood and their belongings were discovered, police charged former NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon with their murders. Their bodies were found at Bungonia eight days later. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty and the trial is ongoing.

Jesse Baird was 26 and had established a career in Australian television and media. He worked for Network 10 for more than seven years, including as a reporter on Studio 10 and presenter of Totally Wild. Jesse grew up in Melbourne before moving to Sydney to pursue his media career. Friends and family described him as energetic, charismatic and someone who made people around him feel connected to him. Luke Davies was 29 and worked as a Qantas flight attendant. He was described by Qantas colleagues as a much-loved member of the cabin crew community, with a passion for travel, his family, friends and the people he served. Jesse and Luke met at the end of 2023. Their relationship developed quickly, and by early 2024 they were openly sharing photographs of each other. Jesse's family later told the court that the two men appeared extremely happy together. Jesse's mother, Helen Baird, described them as being "smitten" with each other when she visited Sydney shortly before their deaths.

On Monday, February 19, 2024, Jesse and Luke were at Jesse's share house on Brown Street in Paddington. Police later identified the Paddington property as the likely location where the men were killed. A large amount of blood was discovered inside the home after police became concerned about the couple's disappearance. A projectile and cartridge casing found at the property were subsequently alleged by police to have been discharged from a NSW Police-issued handgun. Neighbours reported hearing shouting and a verbal argument from the property on the morning of February 19. The prosecution now alleges that both men were shot inside the house. The Crown's case is that Jesse was shot twice in the kitchen and that Luke was subsequently shot while in a bedroom attempting to call emergency services. The defence disputes this account and says both deaths occurred during separate struggles involving the firearm, with Lamarre-Condon maintaining that he acted in self-defence.

The investigation initially began as a missing-person case. On February 21, a worker at a skip bin in Cronulla discovered bloodied clothing and personal possessions belonging to Jesse and Luke. Police then searched Jesse's Paddington home and discovered a significant amount of blood, raising immediate concerns that the men had suffered serious or fatal injuries. Investigators examined CCTV, telecommunications data, vehicle movements and forensic evidence while attempting to establish what had happened to the couple. Police subsequently identified former NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon as a person connected to their disappearance. Lamarre-Condon had previously been romantically involved with Jesse. He handed himself in at Bondi Police Station on February 23, 2024, and was charged with two counts of murder. A white hire van allegedly connected to the disappearance was also located. The search for Jesse and Luke expanded into regional New South Wales, including the Southern Tablelands. On February 27, police announced that human remains believed to be those of the missing men had been discovered at Bungonia, approximately 200 kilometres south-west of Sydney. Police said Lamarre-Condon had assisted investigators in locating the bodies. The bodies were found in surfboard bags at a rural property. The discovery allowed investigators to formally establish what had happened to Jesse and Luke and return their remains to their families. The prosecution's case at the current trial alleges that the killings followed the breakdown of Jesse's previous relationship with Lamarre-Condon and that Lamarre-Condon's behaviour towards Jesse had subsequently escalated. The defence disputes the prosecution's account and says Lamarre-Condon went to the Paddington property to retrieve belongings, where two separate struggles involving his police firearm resulted in the men's deaths.

Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with two counts of murder and has pleaded not guilty. His trial began in the NSW Supreme Court in September 2026 and is expected to continue for several months. The prosecution alleges that Lamarre-Condon deliberately murdered both men. The defence maintains that the deaths occurred during struggles over the firearm and that Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defence. As the trial is ongoing, there has been no conviction or final court finding of guilt at this stage.

The case attracted enormous public attention because Jesse was a well-known television presenter, Luke was a young Qantas flight attendant, and the accused was a serving NSW Police officer at the time of the alleged murders. The discovery that a police-issued firearm was allegedly used in the deaths also prompted scrutiny of police firearm procedures. The case received further national attention after the bodies were located eight days after the men disappeared, bringing an end to the extensive search conducted across Sydney and regional New South Wales.