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Police divers are searching an inland waterway for the bodies of a same-sex couple who were allegedly shot to death in Sydney a week ago by the police officer’s boyfriend, a former celebrity blogger.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said former television journalist Jesse Baird, 26, and her flight attendant partner Luke Davies, 29, were arrested at Baird’s home in Sydney’s Paddington suburb on Monday last week. Police allege he was shot dead at a shared house, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said. .
Neighbors reported hearing one or more gunshots.
Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged on Friday with the murders of the two men. He has not entered a plea or applied for bail.
Lamarre-Condon, 28, was in a relationship with Baird, but they broke up late last year.
He joined the police force in 2019, but before that he was a celebrity blogger, posing with dozens of big stars including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles. The photo was posted online.
Police conduct line search near water in rural area near Bungonia
(AAP image)
Police suspect Lamarr-Condon drove the body in a rented van on Wednesday to a rural property in Bungonia, near Goulburn, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of Sydney.
Police said the man returned to the property Thursday after purchasing a weight at a department store, which detectives believe was used to lower the body into the waterway.
Police divers searched a number of reservoirs on farms in the Bungonia region on Monday.
“Locating Jesse and Luke is our top priority in order to bring some comfort to their families,” Hudson told reporters.
Hudson said Lamarre-Condon refused to talk to police and was following legal advice.
Ammunition casings found in Baird’s home matched the pistol that Lamarre-Condon signed for from the police firearms safe on Thursday, February 15th, and returned on Tuesday, February 20th.
A man looks over flowers at Jesse Baird’s Paddington House in Sydney on Monday.
(AAP image)
Police Commissioner Karen Webb said rules were being reviewed after the officer allegedly used a gun in a violent crime while off-duty.
“If someone uses a commercial firearm in the manner that is being alleged, that’s a failure, and that’s why there needs to be a review,” Webb said.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board is considering calls to ban the group from marching in this year’s parade on March 2, following the alleged murder of a same-sex couple by police.
Mr Webb said police should be allowed to march.
“We have been attending Mardi Gras for the past 20 years and never missed a year, but this is the year we will be excluded because of the actions of one person that have nothing to do with homophobia. I don’t want to see that,” Webb said.
“We allege this is a crime of passion. We allege this is domestically relevant and it would be a real travesty for this organization to be removed,” Webb added. .
Police suspected the murder on Wednesday after the couple’s bloodstained belongings, including a mobile phone, wallet, credit cards and a set of keys, were found in a dumpster 30 kilometers from the crime scene.
Police initially believed that Mr Baird did not kill Mr Davies because his housemate received a message from Mr Baird’s mobile phone asking him to move across the country to the west coast city of Perth and keep his belongings. I had doubts.
Police now claim Mr Lamarr-Condon sent the messages to Mr Davis after his death in an attempt to deflect suspicion.
