When the one you fear wears a badge, where do you turn?

There is a particular kind of fear that comes when the person you are afraid of wears a uniform. It is not the fear of a stranger in the dark, but something more complicated—a fear that the very system meant to protect you might, through its own member, become the instrument of your harm. In the New South Wales Supreme Court this week, a jury heard how that fear took root in the final months of Jesse Baird’s life.

Baird, a 26-year-old television presenter and AFL umpire, was allegedly murdered alongside his partner Luke Davies, 29, at his home in Paddington in February 2024. The accused, Beau Lamarre-Condon, is a former police officer who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated break and enter .

Corey-Dean Thorpe, Baird’s former long-term partner and close friend, gave evidence on Wednesday. He told the court that in late 2023, Baird described being stalked by Lamarre-Condon after their brief relationship ended. Thorpe fought back tears as he recalled a phone conversation from November of that year. “He was petrified,” Thorpe said. “I’ve never heard him so scared in his voice before” .

“He just kept repeating, ‘he has a gun,’” Thorpe told the court . Baird was referring to Lamarre-Condon’s service pistol, the weapon the Crown alleges was used in the killings . Thorpe agreed with the prosecution that Baird was scared to report the matter to police because Lamarre-Condon was himself an officer. Baird worried that a false allegation could be made against him—something that could jeopardize the certifications he needed for his work with children on the television program Totally Wild and as an AFL umpire .

The court also heard that Lamarre-Condon allegedly accessed Baird’s phone while he slept, blocking contacts and deleting conversations. On one occasion, Baird was at a café when the accused drove past and later sent a message: “I hope you’re enjoying that coffee with that guy” . Another witness, a man who had briefly dated Baird, testified that Lamarre-Condon posted videos of Baird to his Instagram Close Friends story and warned the witness about Baird’s character .

The Crown alleges Lamarre-Condon developed an “obsessive and jealous infatuation” after Baird ended their relationship in November 2023. The prosecution says he wore a helmet and dressed as an Uber Eats driver, waiting for three hours outside Baird’s home before entering on 19 February 2024 and shooting both men with his service pistol . The defense argues Lamarre-Condon acted in self-defense, claiming a struggle ensued and the gun discharged .

The trial continues before Justice Natalie Adams. For the friends and family of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, the courtroom has become a place where memory and evidence meet—where the story of a life is told in fragments, under oath, by those who loved them.

The NSW Supreme Court has heard testimony that Jesse Baird was “petrified” of Beau Lamarre-Condon in the months before his death, fearing the former police officer’s access to a gun and feeling unable to report him. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Baird and Luke Davies. The trial continues.

AI Image Disclaimer: All visual content associated with this article is produced by artificial intelligence for representational purposes only and does not depict actual persons or crime scenes.

Sources: Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Guardian, 7NEWS, NSW Supreme Court