The memory of being sent a photo from her son, Jesse, at a concert with a message that Luke Davies was now his boyfriend in early 2024 is a memory that causes Helen Baird's eyes to well up.
asserted
eyes → send → 2024
At that point it was "early days" and they were "great together", she told the NSW Supreme Court this week.
"
asserted
she → tell → Court
I just sent a big love heart and said 'I'm so happy for both of you'.
asserted
I → send → you
She was very close with Mr Baird and they spoke frequently, including about his personal life and relationships.
asserted
they → speak → life
She recalled him expressing concern to her in 2023 about a person he had been somewhat romantically linked to, who Mr Baird believed was becoming obsessive.
asserted
Baird → recall → person
Beau Lamarre-Condon would go through his phone and delete contacts, the court heard, and Mr Baird told his mum that in late 2023, he had told the then-NSW Police officer he did not want to see him again.
asserted
he → go → him
Not long after Ms Baird received the concert photo, Mr Baird and Mr Davies were allegedly murdered by Mr Lamarre-Condon with the officer's service pistol inside Mr Baird's Paddington terrace, in Sydney's east.
uncertain
Baird → receive → east
Mr Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and lawyers intend to argue, during the trial, that it was a case of self-defence involving two separate struggles with the gun.
asserted
it → plead → gun
On the prosecution's case, the now-31-year-old's "obsessive and jealous infatuation" with Mr Baird spanned months, despite Mr Baird's belief that what happened between them was casual.
'I never heard him so scared'
asserted
I → span → them
During an opening address, Crown Prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC outlined a series of escalating behaviours, including monitoring Mr Baird's relationships and interfering with his phone and Instagram account.
asserted
SC → open → account
Mr Hatfield alleged Mr Baird was stalked and his home broken into by the defendant "at least" twice.
asserted
home → allege → defendant
Several of Mr Baird's friends gave evidence that he had expressed concern to them and sought advice.
asserted
he → give → advice
According to Corey Dean Thorpe, Mr Baird's previous long-term partner, the television presenter was "petrified".
uncertain
presenter → accord → Thorpe
"I woke up at 11:30 last night to a guy standing over my bed, he stole my phone and wallet," Mr Baird told his ex in an August 2023 message.
"
asserted
Baird → wake → message
It was so weird, I sensed someone was there."
asserted
someone → sense → ?
The Crown says that person was Mr Lamarre-Condon, who used a stolen or secretly-obtained key before jamming a bobby pin into a lock to make it look like it was picked.
asserted
it → say → lock
Mr Lamarre-Condon's defence counsel told jurors he had a key provided by Mr Baird.
asserted
he → tell → Baird
He denies a charge of aggravated break-and-enter over the incident.
asserted
He → deny → incident
In a November 2023 phone conversation with Mr Thorpe, Mr Baird spoke about the defendant using social media to give the impression they were together, the court was told.
asserted
court → speak → impression
"I've never heard him so scared in his voice before," Mr Thorpe testified.
asserted
Thorpe → hear → voice
"He just kept repeating, 'He has a gun'.
asserted
He → keep → gun
'I'm not going to stand for it anymore'
asserted
I → go → it
Mr Baird's decision to firmly break things off that month, according to the Crown opening, in part related to an Instagram "close friends" story showing a bouquet of flowers posted by Mr Lamarre-Condon.
uncertain
decision → break → Condon
"When he's in Melbourne but still sends you these…" read the caption.
asserted
caption → send → these
The court heard when Mr Baird confronted the accused in a message about the post, Mr Lamarre-Condon said they were from someone else to his mother, Coleen.
asserted
they → hear → mother
The jury saw a photograph of Coleen Lamarre with a bunch of flowers, which the defendant sent to a friend he was asking advice from.
asserted
he → see → advice
The Crown says the defendant had rushed to a florist, asked them to replicate the bouquet in a picture from the internet that he had posted, and lied about it being a misunderstanding.
asserted
it → say → that
On the Crown's case, Mr Lamarre-Condon would use Instagram's "close friends" feature, which allows users to limit visibility to specific accounts, to target perceived romantic rivals and give the impression Mr Baird was unavailable.
asserted
Baird → use → impression
In a message seen by jurors, Mr Baird told Mr Lamarre-Condon there were examples of him acting "in a way that's completely inappropriate".
asserted
that → see → way
"I'm not going to stand for it anymore," Mr Baird wrote, requesting they part ways with no further contact.
asserted
they → go → contact
Rubina Shrestha, a PCYC colleague of Mr Lamarre-Condon, told the court he had spoken to her about his use of the "close friends" function to ward off people he thought were close to Mr Baird.
asserted
he → tell → Baird
One was a man from Canberra, another was a young dancer who casually dated Mr Baird, she recalled.
asserted
she → date → Baird
Asked whether she "discouraged" her colleague's actions, she recalled her response to him: "That's crazy.
asserted
That → ask → him
He said, 'It works'.
asserted
It → say → ?
"
Accused has done 'stupid things' but was self defence
The evidence in the first week of the trial, which is expected to run for up to three months, has largely focused on what Mr Baird told relatives, friends and colleagues about Mr Lamarre-Condon, and things the accused said to his friends or colleagues about Mr Baird.
asserted
accused → accuse → Baird
Defence counsel John Stratton SC has urged jurors not to reach final conclusions until they have heard all of the evidence.
asserted
they → urge → evidence
In his opening address, Mr Stratton said his client had done some "stupid things" like looking through Mr Baird's phone, deleting contacts of other men and wiping text messages.
asserted
client → open → messages
He flagged a self-defence case in relation to the events of February 19, 2024.
asserted
He → flag → February
Mr Stratton said he did not anticipate any evidence of any threats from the accused, who admits entering the Paddington terrace.
asserted
who → say → terrace
According to the opening address, the defence will argue Mr Lamarre-Condon, who was "very upset" about the final break up, went there to retrieve possessions.
He disguised himself as an Uber Eats driver because he did not expect anyone to be home, but if they were he would be able to "masquerade" as a delivery person, the jurors heard.
uncertain
jurors → accord → person
…and 30 more, not listed.
The Aporia