Jesse Baird's Housemate Recalls Surfboard Bags in Courtyard on Day of Alleged Murder

A former housemate of Jesse Baird described seeing two surfboard bags covered by a tarpaulin in the courtyard of their shared Paddington terrace on the day he and his boyfriend were allegedly murdered.

Belinda Smith, a housemate of Mr. Baird, told the NSW Supreme Court she came home about 5:30 pm on the day and noticed items in their backyard.

"I saw two surfboard bags, with a blue tarp over the top of them and red liquid," Ms. Smith said.

She told the court she sent a photo of the items to her other housemate and thought the red liquid was "rusted water from the outdoor furniture."

The jury has heard Mr. Baird was due to move out around the time because his two housemates wanted another friend to move in.

The Crown alleges Mr. Baird and Mr. Davies were shot in the home on the morning of February 19, 2024, after the housemates had left for work.

Through his lawyers, Beau Lamarre-Condon has raised an argument of self-defence. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr. Baird and Luke Davies at Mr. Baird's shared Paddington terrace, in Sydney's east, in February 2024.

The 31-year-old is accused of shooting the young couple with his service pistol before disposing of their bodies in surfboard bags.

The Crown's case is that after the alleged murders, Mr. Lamarre-Condon immediately cleaned the property and used two surfboard bags to store the men's bodies, wrapped in a tarpaulin.

He is alleged to have returned to the property later to move them with a hired vehicle.

The day after Ms. Smith noticed the surfboards, she messaged her other housemate complaining that Mr. Baird's belongings were not yet packed up and he did not appear to be moving as planned.

In a group chat, a message from Mr. Baird's phone was sent telling the women he had "hired an Airtasker to come and collect my things" and had to get someone with a van to move his bed.

That message also said he may be doing a "road trip to Perth" but would be back at the end of that week.

The Crown has previously told jurors it is alleged Mr. Lamarre-Condon used Mr. Baird's phone after his death to give the impression he was still alive.

In the second week of the trial, jurors were shown dozens of crime scene photographs and heard evidence from Senior Sergeant Bronwyn Lansley, a specialist crime scene officer who examined the home.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel John Stratton SC today, Senior Sergeant Lansley was asked about the results of a DNA analysis after the trigger of Mr. Lamarre-Condon's pistol, along with other parts of the gun, was swabbed.

She confirmed there was a mixture of DNA from at least three individuals, and Mr. Davies "could not be excluded as a major contributor to the mixture", and the accused "could not be excluded as the minor contributor to the mixture".

The jury has seen dozens of photographs of items that were found in a skip bin at a Cronulla bowls club, found by a grounds keeper days after the alleged murders.

They included bedding and clothing that were stained with blood, AFL goal umpire flags, unopened AFL branded clothing and personal possessions.

A watch and wallet containing identification and bank cards in the name of Mr. Davies were also photographed.

The men's bodies were ultimately found at a rural area at Bungonia, south of Sydney, in surfboard bags eight days after the alleged murders.

The trial, before Justice Natalie Adams, continues.