Live: Beau Lamarre-Condon explains why he threw Baird's phone off bridge
Beau Lamarre-Condon's murder trial is continuing, after the jury was sent home early yesterday for a legal issue to be discussed.
The former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February 2024.
He has been cross-examined by the Crown since late last week.
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Birthday card made for Baird
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
"Banter" from September 2023 of Baird saying he could smell the accused's cologne in Woolies is being shown.
Hatfield asks if he was in the grocery store at the time.
"I was definitely not," he replies.
We're looking at a birthday card he made for Baird. It has a photo of Lamarre-Condon's dog Ivy, and a man kissing the dog's nose.
"It arrived late, so I gave it to him a bit later," the accused says.
"It's made from a website."
The accused says "we were" in a sexual relationship, about Baird, by the time of his birthday.
"I am 100 per cent certain Jesse Baird and I had sex on his birthday."
Request of friend to dispose of phone
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
He's being asked about a conversation on February 22 with a friend asking her to dispose of Baird's phone.
"After that discussion and before you handed yourself in ... you threw it in the water," Hatfield asks.
"Which I said very clearly, yes," the accused says.
Lamarre-Condon says he doesn't want to be "making any guesses" and asks for a timeline from the Crown.
Lamarre-Condon threw Baird's phone off bridge
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
Lamarre-Condon says he had Baird's phone
It was thrown off a bridge in the Shire "on the Friday morning or the Thursday at some point".
That's February 22 or 23 in 2024.
And later says it could have been February 21, but evidence later rules this out.
"Why did you do that?" Hatfield asks.
"Because ... I can't accurately recall when I did it ...I obviously did it because I didn't want any evidence of Jesse's phone on me."
He agrees, "essentially yes", that he didn't want any incriminating evidence from him.
Beau Lamarre-Condon speaking
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC has continued cross-examining Lamarre-Condon.
To kick off the day, we're being shown a screenshot of messages between the accused and Baird from September 3, 2023.
Hatfield asks if its from a restored set of messages from the Cloud.
"That could be one possibility or its possible this was screenshotted after or during my breakup with Jesse, and I've sent to friends," he says.
He tells the jury he did not delete messages before his arrest.
"Did you delete all of the photos that you were able to of you and Jesse Baird before you handed in your phone?" Hatfield asks.
"No I don't remember doing that, no."
"Do you deny deleting the messages?"
He disagrees.
Jury brought in
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
This morning has started out with legal argument in closed court, which means the public was not able to listen or view proceedings.
Court is now open again and the jury has taken their seats.
Catch-up on yesterday's coverage
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
Missed out on yesterday's cross-examination?
You can read about the day's events here:
Welcome
By Millie Roberts
By Millie Roberts
It's a little bit of an earlier start today, after a shorter day in court yesterday.
An "issue" was raised after the morning tea break that couldn't be resolved quickly, so Justice Natalie Adams sent home the jury for the day.
The rest of the day was heard in closed court, and now we're back this morning.
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