In the quiet aftermath of violence, ordinary life continued undisturbed around two concealed bodies — a housemate photographed seeping red liquid from surfboard bags and concluded, reasonably, that rain had rusted the outdoor furniture. It was not until five days later, when the bags were found along a monastery fence line in rural New South Wales, that the full weight of what had passed through that Paddington courtyard became known. Beau Lamarre-Condon, a police officer, now faces trial for the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, killed, the prosecution contends, with his own ser
Housemate unaware surfboard bags held bodies, murder trial hears
Two men, Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, were fatally shot and their bodies concealed in surfboard bags.
I'm genuinely scared this dude isn't moving out today
Mark
So the housemate photographed the bags and sent the photo to another housemate—did either of them raise any alarm at the time?
Mimi
Not according to what came out in court. She thought it was rust. There was no reason for her to suspect anything else. She'd never seen Baird with a surfboard, never heard him mention surfing.
Luke
But someone removed the bags and cleaned the liquid away within two days. Who did that? The court record doesn't seem to say.
Mimi
That's what the prosecution is building toward, I think. The messages from Baird's phone, the items being removed from his room—it all suggests someone was managing the scene.
Mark
And the defence is saying Lamarre-Condon panicked and cleaned up after shooting them in self-defence?
Mimi
That's their argument, yes. They're saying there were struggles, that it was self-defence, and that panic drove what happened next.
Luke
But self-defence doesn't usually explain why you'd bag two bodies and drive them to a monastery fence line five days later. That's not panic—that's planning.
Mimi
True. The timeline matters. The bodies weren't found until February 24. That's a five-day gap between the shootings and discovery.
Mark
What does the housemate's testimony actually prove for the prosecution?
Luke
It establishes that someone was actively concealing the bodies in real time, moving them, cleaning the scene, and managing the narrative through Baird's phone. It's circumstantial, but it's a pattern.
The Pulse
- A housemate photographed red liquid seeping from surfboard bags in a courtyard and sent the image to a friend, never imagining she was documenting a crime scene.
- The bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies lay concealed in those bags for days while ordinary household life — messages about moving out, cleaners being booked, belongings being shifted — continued around them.
- Baird's phone kept sending messages after his alleged death, arranging the removal of his possessions and asking what time the cleaners were due, suggesting someone was actively managing the deception.
- Five days after the alleged murders, the bags were discovered abandoned along the fence of a rural monastery in Bungonia, bringing the hidden horror into the open.
- The defence argues Lamarre-Condon panicked after shooting both men in self-defence during physical struggles, while the prosecution builds its case witness by witness through the mundane details that surrounded the killings.
In the quiet aftermath of violence, ordinary life continued undisturbed around two concealed bodies — a housemate photographed seeping red liquid from surfboard bags and concluded, reasonably, that rain had rusted the outdoor furniture. It was not until five days later, when the bags were found along a monastery fence line in rural New South Wales, that the full weight of what had passed through that Paddington courtyard became known. Beau Lamarre-Condon, a police officer, now faces trial for the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, killed, the prosecution contends, with his own service weapon — a case that turns on the distance between what we see and what we allow ourselves to understand.
On the evening of February 20, 2024, a woman returned home from work to find two surfboard bags beneath a blue tarp in the courtyard of her Paddington share house. Red liquid was seeping from them. She photographed it and sent the image to a housemate, concluding the colour came from rust off the outdoor furniture after a day of heavy rain. She had never known her housemate Jesse Baird to surf. She had no reason to look closer.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, a 31-year-old police officer, is accused of shooting Baird and his partner Luke Davies with his service weapon inside that same home the previous evening. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter. The housemate, referred to in court as Belinda Smith, testified that she had no idea the bags held two bodies.
The weeks before had been tense in ordinary ways. Smith and another housemate had asked Baird to move out so a friend could take his room. He agreed, announcing his departure for February 20. But that morning, his belongings were still unpacked, and Smith messaged her concern. Later, messages arrived from Baird's phone — explaining he had hired someone to collect his things and was heading to Perth. Someone using his phone asked what time the cleaners were booked. Some of his belongings were subsequently removed from his room.
By February 22, the surfboard bags had disappeared and the red liquid was gone. Two days later, on February 24, the bags were found along the fence line of a rural monastery in Bungonia, south of Sydney — each one containing a body. The defence has argued that Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defence after physical struggles with both men, and panicked in the aftermath. The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.
A woman living in the same house as Jesse Baird came home from work on the evening of February 20, 2024, and walked out to the courtyard to collect her washing after a day of heavy rain. There, she found two surfboard bags covered with a blue tarp, and from them, red liquid was seeping. She took a photograph and sent it to another housemate. When asked what she thought the liquid was, she told the court she assumed it was rust from the outdoor furniture. She had never heard Baird mention surfing. She had never seen a surfboard in the house. She had no reason to think anything unusual was inside those bags.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, a 31-year-old police officer, stands accused of shooting Baird and his partner, Luke Davies, with his service weapon inside Baird's Paddington home on February 19, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter. The housemate, referred to in court as Belinda Smith, testified on Thursday that she had no idea the bags contained two bodies.
Tension in the house had been building for weeks. Earlier in 2024, Smith and another housemate, known in court as Sarah King, had asked Baird to move out so a friend could take his place. Baird agreed and announced in the house group chat that he would be leaving on February 20. But when Smith left for work that morning and saw his belongings still unpacked, she messaged King: "I'm genuinely scared this dude isn't moving out today." Later, a message came from Baird's phone saying he had hired someone to collect his things and was planning a road trip to Perth with friends. Smith responded that she was confused and needed his room cleared because cleaners were coming the next day. Someone responded from Baird's phone asking what time the cleaners were booked. After that exchange, some of Baird's items were removed from his room.
By February 22, the surfboards had been cleared away and the red liquid was gone, Smith told the court. Five days later, on February 24, the bodies of Baird and Davies were discovered in two surfboard bags left on the fence line of a rural monastery in Bungonia, a small town south of Sydney.
Lamarre-Condon's defence team has argued that both men were shot in self-defence after physical struggles with the officer. According to the defence opening statement, Lamarre-Condon panicked after the shootings and immediately began cleaning up the scene. The trial, presided over by Justice Natalie Adams, continues.
Notable Quotes
I'm genuinely scared this dude isn't moving out today— Housemate message to another resident, morning of February 20
Baird and Davies were fatally shot in self-defence after struggles with the policeman, who then panicked and began cleaning up the scene— Defence opening statement
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