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The second legal team for alleged double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon has sensationally stood down from representing the former police officer after “an issue arose” the day before his latest court appearance.
Lamarre-Condon, 29, has spent more than a year in prison after allegedly using his service-issued Glock pistol to shoot former partner Jesse Baird, a television presenter with whom he had allegedly become fixated, and Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, inside a Paddington terrace in February 2024.
Beau Lamarre-Condon (left) is charged with murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
His publicly funded lawyer Alexander Terracini was appointed in November last year, when Lamarre-Condon parted ways with his solicitor John Walford.
On Tuesday, Terracini told the Downing Centre Local Court that he and the rest of Lamarre-Condon’s legal team sought leave to withdraw from representing him after “an issue arose yesterday”.
That leave was granted, and Sydney lawyer Ben Archbold was appointed his replacement as members of Baird and Davies’ families watched on via video link.
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The court was not told what the issue was, which Magistrate Christopher Halburd noted was “appropriate”.
The new legal team led Halburd to allow a six-week adjournment despite the Crown’s objections.
“Negotiations have been ongoing for now many, many months; there’s been [two] case conferences,” prosecutor Brendan Donnelly said.
“The Crown is ready for this to proceed to trial. These murders allegedly occurred in February last year, further delay is undesirable in the circumstances.”
Lamarre-Condon’s mother, Colleen Lamarre, made a rare appearance in court to support her son on Tuesday.
Beau Lamarre-Condon’s mother, Colleen Lamarre, leaves court on Tuesday.Credit: Sally Rawsthorne
Outside court, Lamarre did not answer reporters’ question, while Archbold said he was “grateful” for the adjournment and would have more to say after he’d read the brief.
Lamarre-Condon remains in the jurisdiction of the Local Court with no plea entered to the two counts of domestic violence murder, 15 months after the death of the couple.
The then-serving police officer allegedly hid the bodies of Baird and Davies in surfboard bags and submerged them in a dam outside Sydney before he was captured and allegedly revealed their location to detectives from inside prison.
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Investigators claim Lamarre-Condon had stalked Baird, potentially breaking into his home and damaging the television presenter’s car in the lead-up to the alleged murder.
It’s alleged that Baird had complained to his friends about a “shadowy figure” at the foot of his bed.
Lamarre-Condon had allegedly purchased a surfboard bag from a Miranda shop ahead of the deaths.
He also allegedly checked his service weapon out of Miranda Police Station ahead of a shift patrolling a pro-Palestine event the following day.
That evening he allegedly murdered Baird and Davies inside the Paddington share house Baird lived in.
At 2pm on the day of the killing, Lamarre-Condon was allegedly caught on CCTV buying the second of two surfboard bags police say were first used to hide the bodies at the Paddington home.
He also allegedly rented a white van to transport and conceal their bodies.
The matter will return to court in August.
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