Beau Lamarre-Condon has denied making a fake Grindr account for Jesse Baird, during cross-examination in his double murder trial before Justice Natalie Adams at the New South Wales supreme court.
The former police officer is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies with a weapon from his police service in Baird’s Paddington residence in Sydney on February 19, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter.
Court Proceedings: Denial of Fake Profile Creation
During testimony on Wednesday, Lamarre-Condon was asked whether he had told a friend that he created a fake Grindr profile for Baird after their breakup. Under cross-examination by crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, the former officer stated that such an action "had never happened".
Lamarre-Condon explained that following his separation from Baird, he attempted to create a fictitious account using what he believed was Baird’s email address — not as a means of deception or relationship simulation, but to determine if the address was active and whether it indicated Baird might be in an exclusive partnership with another man.
He said: 'I attempted to create a fake account with an email I believed was from him to see if it was active … to see if he was in an exclusive relationship with Jesse or not.'
Clarification on Email Origin: When asked by Hatfield whether the email he entered belonged to the man referenced, Lamarre-Condon responded that he could not confirm its authenticity. He stated: 'I can’t confirm if this is 100% [his] email or not — this is something I had seen on social media.'
Alleged Break-In and Meeting Plans
In August 2023, while still separated from Baird, Lamarre-Condon allegedly broke into Baird’s home in an attempt to access his phone.
The court previously heard that during this incident, Lamarre-Condon accidentally woke up Baird, who then chased him out of the house.
During cross-examination, Hatfield questioned whether Lamarre-Condon "manufactured" a chance encounter with Baird after the break-in to test if Baird would suspect it was him. Lamarre-Condon denied fabricating such an opportunity and stated: 'I definitely didn’t manufacture a bump-in.'
He added that he had made plans with Baird to meet in upcoming days — indicating no intent to deceive or provoke suspicion through staged interactions.
When asked by prosecutors whether he told Baird that he had entered his home, Lamarre-Condon said yes, but emphasized that Baird did not ask about it.
Possible Text Exchange on Birthday
A few weeks after the alleged break-in, Lamarre-Condon met with Baird on what was described as the presenter’s birthday. That night, he reportedly texted a friend: 'He rejected my kiss.'
Prosecutor Hatfield questioned whether this message indicated an intention to create a romantic or deceptive scenario. Lamarre-Condon denied this interpretation and stated: 'No — that's not correct. That was at the start … we definitely did hook up on this night.'
The trial continues.