No space left for flowers: Community’s tearful tribute for two victims
Tributes are being left at the scene where two men were allegedly murdered by a police officer as investigators continue searching the site where their bodies were found.
Members of the public place floral tributes at the Paddington residence of Jesse Baird in Sydney, Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Police have located the bodies of two missing men, who investigators allege were killed more than a week earlier in Sydney by a NSW officer.(AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) NO ARCHIVING
Surfboard bags containing the bodies of Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29, were found at the fence line of a rural property in Bungonia near Goulburn, about 200km southwest of Sydney, on Tuesday.
The discovery after a near week-long search for the pair came when their accused killer, Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, allegedly drew police a map of the location from his jail cell.
The 28-year-old has been held in custody since being charged with murdering the couple at Mr Baird’s home at Paddington, in inner-city Sydney, on February 19.
There was no more space left for flowers on the fence outside the Brown St terrace by noon on Wednesday as friends, family and members of the LGBTQI community continued to leave tributes at the property.
Officers continued to walk in and out of the home as news crews watched on.
“Lukey + Jesse, rest in peace boys. We will miss you. So much,” one card accompanying a bouquet read.
Another bouquet featured a scale-model Qantas plane in tribute to Mr Davies, who worked as a much-loved member of the airline’s cabin crew.
“You will be forever missed,” a card read.
An AFL umpire’s guernsey was also left at the scene in honour of Mr Baird , who umpired 62 games, including two finals.
“Forever goal umpire #350, forever in our hearts,” a tribute read.
Mr Baird will be fondly remembered for his vibrant personality, professionalism and commitment to mentoring the next generation of umpires, the league’s chief executive Andrew Dillon said on Tuesday night.
“Most importantly, he will be remembered for the great, caring person that he was,” he said.
Police remain at the Bungonia property where the painstaking task of collecting evidence continues.
Lamarre-Condon moved the bodies to the site from another location because of his “inability to dispose of them” there, Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said.
“The accused drew a bit of a map or at least a bit of a visual to describe where to go,” the senior officer told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.
Mr Fitzgerald defended NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb’s choice of words when she said she was “very grateful” for the assistance of the accused in finding the bodies.
“I’m grateful that we’ve removed some heartache from the family,” he said.
Ms Webb later clarified her comment related to feeling grateful that the families of the victims were able to know where their loved ones were.
Lamarre-Condon was familiar with the Bungonia area where the bodies were found, police allege.
Broadcaster Hamish McDonald paid tribute to Mr Baird, with whom he occasionally shared a dressing room when the pair worked together at Network Ten.
“There’s not a single person that didn’t love him at work,” he told ABC Radio.
Gun safety processes within the NSW Police Force are being reviewed amid allegations the accused used his police-issued firearm to kill the couple.
Ms Webb said she was looking to move quickly on the issue.
“This person has been deceptive in the way he’s gone about the access to the firearm – that is not the behaviour we see of police officers doing their job every day,” she told Nine’s Today program.
“So there’s a degree of deception and we will allege that in the way he’s accessed the firearm.”
A critical incident was declared following the alleged murders, meaning it will be investigated by police internally and reviewed by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14