A bullet hole in a bedroom door and DNA found in the barrel of a firearm have been scrutinised in court during Beau Lamarre-Condon’s double murder trial in Sydney. Mr Lamarre-Condon, 31, is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies with his police service weapon at Mr Baird’s Paddington home on 19 February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter.
The prosecution alleges Mr Lamarre-Condon, disguised as an UberEats rider, entered Mr Baird’s home and shot him twice, then shot Mr Davies through a bedroom door. However, the defence claims the deaths occurred in two separate incidents, with Mr Lamarre-Condon acting in “self-defence”.
Defence lawyer John Stratton SC cross-examined crime scene officer Greg Moon, questioning the prosecution's account. Mr Stratton highlighted a DNA profile partially matching Mr Davies from a swab of the alleged murder weapon's barrel and the absence of blood on the bedroom door. He suggested the likelihood of biological material passing through the door's hole into the gun's barrel was minimal, but Mr Moon disagreed, stating he believed it could still happen.
Dr Kendall Bailey, who conducted the postmortem examinations, provided a diagram indicating a bullet entered Mr Baird’s neck and exited below his lip. She told the jury this injury, while potentially survivable, would be very painful and could cause unconsciousness, and that a person with such an injury would likely be unable to make coherent vocalisations. Dr Bailey also explained that a shot to the temple would incapacitate a person, making conscious movements unlikely.
Forensic radiologist Dr James Raleigh presented CT scans of the victims' skulls, detailing a hole in Mr Baird’s temple and a wound in Mr Davies’ face consistent with a bullet hole. Dr Bailey also noted two wounds on Mr Davies’ thigh consistent with a “single-bladed weapon”, which she agreed likely occurred at or after the time of death.
The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.