Recordings Challenge Witness Account in Lamarre-Condon Trial
A friend of Beau Lamarre-Condon told a court he felt the accused was trying to change his account of an alleged confession. Recordings of their conversations…
A witness’s account of an alleged confession is being challenged in court. Beau Lamarre-Condon told a friend he had misheard or misinterpreted what was said, recordings played to a jury in his double-murder trial show.
The former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who died in February 2024. The trial is being heard in the Supreme Court, where the friend’s evidence and recorded conversations have focused on what Lamarre-Condon allegedly told him about the shootings.
The friend, whose identity cannot be reported under a court order, told the court he felt Lamarre-Condon was trying to change his account. “I was frustrated at the time, because he kept trying to change my word and make me think what I said wasn't accurate,” he said.
The recordings offer the jury a direct record of the exchange. They also show Lamarre-Condon disputing the witness’s account while the friend maintained that he had not misheard.
Recordings played to the jury
An audio recording of a visit lasting about 50 minutes was played in court on Monday. During the visit, Lamarre-Condon apologised to the friend for calling him and going to his workplace on the day of the alleged shooting.
The witness had testified the previous week that Lamarre-Condon came to his work and said he had “killed people” with his gun. The friend said Lamarre-Condon told him the second person was not meant to be shot, but that he could not leave a witness.
In a recording from their later conversation, Lamarre-Condon challenged that account. “It's what was said … don't you dare switch up,” the friend replied. “The truth is, you misheard it,” Lamarre-Condon said.
The friend’s statement to police described details of the alleged confession: he said Lamarre-Condon told him the first person was shot in the head and the second through a door. The recordings played in court now show the accused disputing the witness’s interpretation.
“You were under duress man … the way they treated you was disgusting,” Lamarre-Condon told him. He added: “It doesn't mean people are lying, it means people have misheard or misinterpreted.”
The witness rejected the version put to him. Crown Prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC asked whether he was rejecting Lamarre-Condon’s account. “Correct,” the friend replied.
Defence disputes the account
Lamarre-Condon’s defence team has flagged an alternative account of what happened inside the Brown Street terrace, involving two separate struggles with the men and his police pistol. The accused is arguing self-defence.
During the recorded visit, Lamarre-Condon told the friend he did not believe he was a liar, but said people can get things wrong or hear them incorrectly. He also said he was “not worried” about the friend going to court, arguing it would be easy to show how the witness could have misinterpreted events.
The friend responded: “Nothing can be said. What's done is done.” He also told the court that Lamarre-Condon had spoken about Baird multiple times over a long period, contradicting the accused’s recorded claim that he had talked about Baird for only a short time and then stopped caring about him.
In a separate recording from April 2024, Lamarre-Condon told the friend to “make sure you don't talk to people about stuff”. The friend replied: “I don't know what you're talking about bro.”
The testimony and recordings put the disputed account before the jury as it weighs the friend’s evidence against the defence’s proposed version of events. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.
Source: abc.net.au
