Defendant claims friend directed him to sink two bodies in concrete

Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, stated in court that a friend insisted on disposing of two bodies "straight away" after he fatally shot Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Lamarre-Condon said he initially wanted to report the deaths to police but was persuaded otherwise. He is currently on trial for two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. The shootings occurred at a home in Paddington on 19 February 2024. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty, arguing the deaths were accidental and that he acted in self-defense.

The trial has heard conflicting accounts from Lamarre-Condon and his companion, who appears in court as Elizabeth Kennedy. Kennedy testified last week that she believed they were going for lunch when Lamarre-Condon picked her up two days after the alleged murders. She denied assisting with the body disposal. "I didn't know anything," Kennedy told the court. She described herself as five feet tall and weighing 55 kilos, stating she did not think she could carry a body even if she tried. She said she waited at a gate while Lamarre-Condon drove to a dam on a farm.

Lamarre-Condon's statement, read by prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, contradicts Kennedy's version. He alleged that after picking Kennedy up, he showed her the bodies in the back of a van. Lamarre-Condon claimed he began to cry and asked if he should drive to the police. He said Kennedy replied that they could not report it because "they won't believe you." He alleged she quoted the Taylor Swift song "No Body, No Crime" and urged them to get rid of the bodies immediately. Lamarre-Condon said he warned Kennedy she could be charged as an accessory to murder.

According to the statement, Kennedy assisted in carrying the bodies to a farm in Bungonia. Lamarre-Condon alleged they poured concrete into bags to help them sink in the water. He claimed that when a bag would not sink, Kennedy used his pocketknife to cut holes in a surfboard cover. He said this action caused the knife wounds found on Luke Davies's leg. Lamarre-Condon stated that Kennedy was a willing participant throughout the process. He said he did not tell police about her involvement initially because she begged him not to.

Kennedy disputed these details during her testimony. She alleged that Lamarre-Condon played the Swift song in the car, not her. She described the track as a very niche song. She also denied that Lamarre-Condon had told her Baird was dead at the time of the drive. Lamarre-Condon's legal team has argued that the incident resulted from a misunderstanding and that he acted to protect himself.

The jury also heard a recording of a phone call Lamarre-Condon made to a police assistance line on 23 February 2024. He reported a psychological injury and stated he was suffering from anxiety and symptoms of schizophrenia. He told the operator he had been exposed to trauma and death. Lamarre-Condon asked the operator to delete the call and keep the report short. He said the detectives were already aware that he was being driven to a central police station.

Lamarre-Condon handed himself into police at 10:37 am on 23 February 2024. The trial is presided over by Justice Natalie Adams and continues today. Lamarre-Condon's barrister is John Stratton SC. The next phase of the trial will focus on further witness testimony regarding the events at the Paddington home.