A close friend and former romantic partner of slain Sydney man Jesse Baird claims the 26-year-old was never in a romantic relationship with NSW Police officer and alleged murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon. Instead, he claims Lamarre-Condon harboured unreciprocated feelings for Baird — and that Baird found this deeply uncomfortable.
Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies, 29, were allegedly killed by Lamarre-Condon at Baird’s Paddington home in Sydney last Monday. Their bodies are yet to be recovered, but bloody possessions believed to belong to the two men were found in a skip bin in Cronulla, and police allege they found a “significant” amount of blood in Baird’s home.
Lamarre-Condon has since been charged with two counts of murder, and NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said on Monday that police are investigating the case as “domestic violence related”. Police have described Lamarre-Condon as an ex partner of Baird, and said they had an “on-again, off-again” romantic relationship.
However, Corey-Dean Thorpe — who claims to be a close friend of Baird — disputes this, and claims the relationship between the two was one-sided.
Thorpe said he wanted to correct the narrative that there had been some kind of love triangle, insisting that the soured friendship between Baird and Lamarre-Condon took place before Baird began dating Davies in early February.
“Jesse would be so angry at the portrayal in the media of Beau as his ex-partner, and it’s disrespectful to Jesse’s family that Beau is being made out to be his ex,” Thorpe told Daily Mail Australia.
“They were friends, but when Beau began filming them and putting videos on Instagram — which were hidden from Jesse — making it look as if they were a couple, Jesse told him, ‘We can’t be friends anymore’.”
Thorpe, who says he was in a long-term relationship with Baird that ended amicably when the Channel 10 presenter moved from Brisbane to Sydney, said Baird met Lamarre-Condon at a nightclub, and the two became a casual, friends-with-benefits situation.
Thorpe claims that Lamarre-Condon developed feelings for Baird, but Baird didn’t reciprocate them and wanted to focus on healing from his break up.
“Then Beau came back again and Jesse told him ‘I’m not going to get feelings for you’, and made it very clear he was seeing other people, not just [Lamarre-Condon].”
Thorpe said things were mostly normal until August last year, when he claims Baird told him a police car had followed him home.
“Jesse called me… He was frantic,” Thorpe said.
“He said ‘Corey, last night, this morning, I was sleeping in my bed and I had the feeling someone is standing over me, at the end of my bed watching me, and when I woke up they stole my phone and wallet. I bolted after them in Paddington’.
“He never retrieved his phone, but someone found his wallet and messaged him on Instagram.”
Police alleged in a press conference on Monday that Lamarre-Condon had entered Baird’s home after their relationship “did not end well”.
“We allege the accused had attended Jesse’s home address. We allege he had utilised a key to enter those premises,” Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said.
“We allege he took possession of Jesse’s phone and deleted contacts and messages out of that phone before before leaving the premises.”
Thorpe also claimed that Baird once caught Lamarre-Condon using his phone while they were hanging out, and alleged that he would send Baird concerning messages.
“Jesse would be at a café with another guy, having a coffee, and he would get text messages from Beau saying ‘I hope you’re enjoying that coffee with that other guy’,” Thorpe alleged.
“I told Jesse go to the police, but he was scared an allegation about him might arise and ‘I might lose my AFL career’.”
After these events, Thorpe claims Baird tried to cease all contact with Lamarre-Condon, and that the two drafted a text message about it together.
Part of the message in a screenshot read: “There have been many examples that have been brought to me since we met, that show you’ve acted in a way that’s completely inappropriate. I’m not going to stand for it anymore.
“I would appreciate if you could refrain from contacting me.”
Thorpe and Baird reportedly joked about Lamarre-Condon showing up at Baird’s front door, with Thorpe asking Baird if he was “still alive” after the text message was sent.
Beau Lamarre-Condon is being held in remand, and has entered no pleas. He is due to appear in court in April.
