SYDNEY – As the city's annual Mardi Gras festival prepares for its big parade and celebration of LGBTQ+ rights and culture on Saturday, there's a bit of a somber tone this year.
Just hours after British pop star Sophie Ellis Bextor performed on stage in front of thousands of revelers on Bondi Beach at one of Sydney's highly anticipated gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parties, New South Wales police went to the Paddington home Sydney's eastern suburbs where television presenter Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies were allegedly killed by Baird's ex-partner, a police officer named Beau Lamarre-Condon.
Large amounts of blood were found in the house where the former Studio 10 presenter lived. He was reported missing last week along with his friend Davies. Police said shots were heard at the Paddington property on Monday and the defendant hired a white van from Sydney Airport that night.
The couple's bloody clothes were found in a bin in Cronulla, a beachside suburb 40 minutes from Paddington. Lamarre-Condon turned himself in to police on Friday and was subsequently charged with two counts of murder. The bodies have not yet been found.
“It's been a really tough week for a lot of us here at 10, across the 10 network,” Channel 10 star Sarah Harris, who worked alongside Baird on the now-defunct show Studio 10, told the Australian audience on Sunday night in the news program The Project.
Harris, fighting back tears, apologized to viewers as her voice shook, telling co-host Hamish Macdonald: “It's difficult to even talk about Jesse in the past tense because Jesse and I are on behalf of everyone here speaking in the studio, in the newsroom and also in Studio 10, he was more than just a colleague, he was our friend, he was like our little brother, he was one of those kids who not only had the screen, but also a space to brought lights. He had this big, beautiful smile, he was so good on air, only 26, an absolute star.”
Harris added that 2024 “should be his year.” After Studio 10 ended last year and I last saw him, he wondered what he would do. He had a brand new job that he was starting in a few weeks. Speaking of Luke Davies, he described him to one of his closest friends as “the only one”. He was in love. And my heart aches, not just for Luke's family, but for Jesse's family… we're all just so, so sorry.”
On Monday, New South Wales Police divers resumed their search for the couple's bodies in dams near Goulburn, about two hours' drive southwest of Sydney. Police also investigated a crime scene at a property in nearby Bungonia.
In a press conference in Sydney on Monday, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told the media that Lamarre-Condon “has sought legal advice not to speak to us. I can point out that the defendant has not disclosed where Jesse and Luke are and where he has taken them. But our top priority right now is locating Jesse and Luke to give the family some comfort and come to terms with what happened. We hope we can speak to him again today and hope he changes his mind.”
Hudson said he wasn't sure if the bodies were on the property, but said he assumed they were there at some point and may have brought them there. Hudson appealed to the public to come forward if they had any information that could help the investigation.
Hudson added that an acquaintance – who he said was unaware of the conspiracy to dispose of the bodies – helped Lamarre-Condon purchase an angle grinder and a padlock at a local hardware store before driving to the rural property. After returning to Sydney, the suspect also purchased weights. It is believed that he returned to the estate after purchasing two torches from an acquaintance.
A statement from Baird's Studio 10 colleagues on Sunday night said they were “completely shocked” by the murder.
“Jesse was so much more than just a colleague. “He was a valued friend who seemed brighter every day with his positive attitude, cheeky wink and bright smile,” the statement said.
“He could do it all, from feeding crocodiles to going down the river on water skis on live television – anything to entertain the audience.” As a roving reporter, he traveled the country and met hundreds of people from all walks of life. They were all undoubtedly a little happier after being touched by his presence.
“As his work colleagues and friends, we are completely shocked. Nothing was ever too much trouble. He worked so hard to make his dreams come true. He was always up for anything and the life of the party. It simply cannot be overstated how much we adored him. Our hearts hurt for his family, whom he loved so much and spoke of often. We also think about Luke's family and what could have been for them both. Jesse and Luke, forever adored. Forever young and beautiful. Inside and outside.”
The murder has not only shocked Sydney, the media industry and the NSW Police Force, but has become a headline-grabbing story across the country at a critical moment for the LGBTQ+ community. On Sunday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb also apologized in a statement for police failures highlighted by an 18-month investigation into anti-gay hate crimes.
“The mistakes of the past will not determine our future,” Webb said.
In the meantime, the carnival continues.