Crime scene photos shown to a jury paint a harrowing picture of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies' final moments, including a hole in a door and a bullet bent out of shape.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, has been accused of fatally shooting the couple with his police service weapon in Baird's Paddington home on 19 February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter.
Photos from Baird's eastern suburbs terrace house were revealed to the court during his trial on Tuesday before later being released to the media.
Luminol analysis reveals bloodstaining
In some images, Baird's bedroom, back courtyard and a bathroom glow with luminol after the chemical, which highlights possible bloodstaining, was used by police to examine the home. An image taken in the sub-floor beneath Baird's ground-floor bedroom – accessed by a trapdoor in the room – shows a bloodstained tarpaulin.
Referring to a photo of a misshapen and bloodstained bullet, Bronwyn Lansley, a crime scene officer, explained it had travelled through a source of blood before penetrating the wooden flooring. A bullet hole in the door of Baird's bedroom was also shown to the court. Investigators explained it had not been discovered until July, two months before the trial, as it had been repaired with putty and covered with a mounting hook.
Analysis of stippling marks left on the door when the gun was fired showed there was nothing between the muzzle of the firearm and the door, Lansley said.
Cleaning and disposal of evidence
The prosecution alleges Lamarre-Condon began cleaning up the crime scene immediately after the shootings, before dumping Baird and Davies' bloodied belongings in a skip bin at the Cronulla Bowls Club. More than 100 photos of the bin's contents were shown on Wednesday. Many of the items were covered in blood, including a white T-shirt, jewellery and a bedsheet.
Baird had been a TV presenter and AFL goal umpire, while Davies was a flight attendant. Among the items were bloodstained AFL goal umpire flags, caps and shorts still in their plastic packaging, and a wallet containing Davies' Qantas ID card.
Lansley confirmed to the court that a bloodied shoe print found on the hem of a hoodie pulled from the dumpster matched black Adidas shoes discovered near a monastery in Bungonia, where Baird and Davies' bodies were eventually discovered.
Forensic findings and trial continues
The court was on Wednesday shown photos of the van allegedly used to transport the bodies to the site, with forensic analysis revealing blood on the underside of the vehicle's rear bumper.
The defence lawyer John Stratton SC said during his opening statement that Baird and Davies were fatally shot in “self-defence” after struggles with the policeman. Lamarre-Condon immediately began cleaning up the scene because he “panicked”, the jury was told.
The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.
