Beau Lamarre-Condon's text messages reveal 'infatuation' with Jesse Baird before murder

Newly revealed text messages have shed light on Beau Lamarre-Condon's alleged 'infatuation' with Jesse Baird, months before his murder.

In April 2023, Mr Baird explicitly stated to Mr Lamarre-Condon that they were not in a relationship, writing in an Instagram message: "Beau and I see each other from time to time however we aren't 'seeing' each other or in a relationship."

Messages reveal 'obsessive and jealous infatuation'

Despite this, Mr Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Baird and his partner Luke Davies, allegedly continued to stalk Mr Baird in the months leading up to the crime.

Mr Lamarre-Condon's lawyer has indicated that he will argue self-defence, claiming that separate struggles inside Mr Baird's home resulted in the tragic deaths.

The Crown, however, alleges that Mr Lamarre-Condon developed an "obsessive and jealous infatuation" with Mr Baird after their casual romance ended.

Text messages between Mr Lamarre-Condon and his colleague, Senior Constable Nicole Harvell, have been tendered as evidence, revealing his fixation on Mr Baird.

In one message, Mr Lamarre-Condon confessed to Ms Harvell about his feelings towards Mr Baird, saying: "Argh idk if I'm being stupid or not or I'm wasting my time".

Ms Harvell replied: "… he told him he's not seeing you. Well of course he's seeing you. That was a massive lie".

Accused's online surveillance and relationship dynamics

The jury has heard that Mr Lamarre-Condon met Mr Baird in 2022, but there was a "disconnect" between what each saw as the nature of their relationship.

Mr Baird regarded it as "somewhat casual", while Mr Lamarre-Condon was "infatuated", the prosecutor has said.

In March 2023, Mr Lamarre-Condon discussed his feelings with Ms Harvell, saying he was "triggered" by Mr Baird seeing another man and was checking Mr Baird's Instagram followers.

In the weeks that followed, he described going on dates with Mr Baird, a getaway with a dog, and spending Easter together.

Break-ups and alleged interference

There were two apparent break-ups between the pair, in April 2023 and November 2023.

On April 17, Mr Lamarre-Condon addressed what he had seen on Mr Baird's phone, saying: "Ending it with him this arvo".

Ms Harvell recalled that Mr Lamarre-Condon knew Mr Baird's phone passcode and had spoken to her about it not being an exclusive relationship, saying he "came across to me as paranoid" about Mr Baird's interest in him.

Via text, Mr Lamarre-Condon questioned if Mr Baird had muted his Instagram stories to "get over me" and checked what he was listening to on Spotify in May.

Damage control and a 888-word message

In an attempt to get other men to "back off", Mr Lamarre-Condon uploaded a generic photo of flowers to his Instagram story, making it visible only to certain accounts.

When Mr Baird confronted him about the post, Mr Lamarre-Condon sent him a series of messages asking him to call or "chat in person", saying he was "confused" and did not "understand why this [the flowers] is an issue".

He then shared an 888-word draft message with Ms Harvell that he wanted to send to Mr Baird, expressing his feelings and concerns about their relationship.

The next day, Ms Harvell told Mr Lamarre-Condon she was "torn" whether it would be worth him telling Mr Baird about blocking a man he had been casually seeing.

About six hours later, Mr Lamarre-Condon said Mr Baird had blocked him on social media.

On the morning of November 18, Ms Harvell touched base with Mr Lamarre-Condon, who said: "I'm so in the wrong though and it sucks!".

Ms Harvell replied: "… He caused you to do this. Honestly. He was the biggest mind f**k".