The bodies of a couple who were reportedly shot to death in Sydney by a police officer were being sought by police divers who were exploring inland waterways.
The police officer is believed to be a jilted lover.
Last week, the bodies of Luke Davies, a former flight attendant and partner of television reporter Jesse Baird, and Baird were discovered in Baird’s shared Paddington property. Both murders were filed against Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has yet to make a bail application or enter a plea. Baird and Lamarre-Condon’s romance terminated towards the end of last year.
Wednesday, Lamarre-Condon, a suspect in the case, was allegedly driven by a rental van to a rural property in Bungonia, close to Goulburn, around 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of Sydney, with the victims inside. According to police, he went to a department shop on Thursday to purchase weights, which they believe were used to submerge the bodies in water. On Thursday, he allegedly returned to the site. Divers from the Bungonia region’s police force combed through multiple reservoirs on farms on Monday.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb says the procedures that allegedly permitted the officer to use the gun while off duty are being reviewed.
In light of the reported police killing of a gay couple, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board is contemplating a ban on police participation in this year’s march on March 2. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras organizers asked police late on Monday not to march at their annual parade this weekend in response to the shocking nationwide allegation that a police officer murdered with his service firearm.
Australia has severe laws against the ownership of handguns, and the processes that allowed Lamarre-Condon to allegedly commit a violent crime while off duty are now under investigation. It has been decades since a police officer in New South Wales was involved in a suspected murder investigation, according to reports.
