Accused killer Beau Lamarre-Condon urged a friend twice to watch the erotic thriller Saltburn, saying he could imagine himself “playing the lead role of the nerd” days before he allegedly murdered two people.
The messages, tendered in the NSW Supreme Court this week, were exchanged between Lamarre-Condon and a senior constable friend identified by the court-appointed pseudonym Fiona Rosso.
Ms Rosso told the court earlier this week that she met Lamarre-Condon at work in 2022. The pair became friends and regularly discussed relationships, travel and their plans for the future.
Throughout much of 2023 and into early 2024, Lamarre-Condon called and messaged her about his troubled on-and-off relationship with Jesse Baird, seeking her advice about how to handle various situations.
At 9.18pm on February 15, he told her to “watch the movie Saltburn” — a film in which Barry Keoghan’s character becomes dangerously obsessed with Jacob Elordi’s character and ultimately kills his entire family.
Lamarre-Condon wrote: “I see myself playing the lead role of [Keoghan’s character] the nerd. It’s a mind f**k.”
At 11.03am the next day, he sent another message via the encrypted app Signal: “Hey watch the movie salt burn.”
Three days later, on February 19, he allegedly fatally shot Mr Baird and Mr Baird’s new partner, Luke Davies, in what Crown prosecutors allege was motivated by a romantic obsession.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, pictured on a private jet in Greece, allegedly killed his former boyfriend Jesse Baird and Mr Baird’s new partner, Luke Davies
Barry Keoghan appears in Saltburn. Lamarre-Condon told a friend he could imagine himself playing the character
A mock-up of a text message in which Beau Lamarre-Condon urged a friend to watch Saltburn
Lamarre-Condon did not explain why he wanted Ms Rosso to watch the film or why he identified with Keoghan’s character.
Ms Rosso did not respond to his recommendation.
About five hours before the alleged killings, Lamarre-Condon messaged Ms Rosso to say he had deactivated his social media accounts.
At 4.49am, he wrote: “I’ll try call you tonight and update you X.”
“Don’t worry about me though X.”
Ms Rosso replied shortly afterwards: “Ok good! Once I have my sleeping pills I get really doey — it’s like I’m half asleep and dreaming. But this is great.”
“What sign was it? What did the universe say? Yay or nay?”
Lamarre-Condon responded: “No there is no sign I’m doing it.”
A mock-up of a Signal message in which Beau Lamarre-Condon urged a friend to watch Saltburn
A mock-up of messages exchanged between Beau Lamarre-Condon and Fiona Rosso hours before he allegedly killed two people
A mock-up of a message Beau Lamarre-Condon sent a friend hours before he allegedly killed two people
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Ms Rosso replied: “We [definitely] calling tonight.”
At 5.01am, he added: “Also I’ve just gotten rid of all social media for now.”
After midday, Lamarre-Condon tried to call her five times from a burner phone, but she did not answer.
The previous night, on February 18, he had written: “If I don’t get to talk to you again I just want to let you know I love you so much and I value our friendship more than you’ll know.”
“Thank you for accepting me I love you so much xx.”
Ms Rosso told the court earlier this week, becoming visibly emotional, that she could not remember the context of the messages.
“I don’t remember,” she said repeatedly. “I can’t recall.”
When Crown prosecutors asked whether she was genuinely trying to recall the conversations, Ms Rosso assured the court that she was making an effort but could not remember them.
Luke Davies and Jesse Baird, pictured, were allegedly killed by Beau Lamarre-Condon on February 19, 2024
The van Beau Lamarre-Condon allegedly used to transport the bodies before going to Fiona Rosso’s home to clean blood from the boot
She also told the court that she was experiencing several mental health issues at the time, which she attributed to her former career as a police officer, and that she had been abusing alcohol.
On the night in question, she drank two bottles of champagne by herself.
Two days later, on February 22, Lamarre-Condon went to Ms Rosso’s home and allegedly told her: “I’ve done something bad, I don’t want to tell you, I don’t want to incriminate you.”
Ms Rosso said Lamarre-Condon arrived in a white van and that she followed him outside when he went to clean it.
“I walked out there with my drink and sat on the gutter and he scrubbed and I sat there in the gutter,” she told the court.
“He saw a bit of blood to scrub off and he couldn’t get it off so he said he’d have to paint it.”
Ms Rosso became so distressed during her evidence that she struggled to continue speaking.
She told the court that she feared Lamarre-Condon might “kill me too”.
The jury was later told that, although Ms Rosso felt she was in danger, there was no evidence Lamarre-Condon intended to harm her.
Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of domestic violence-related murder and one count of break and enter.
The trial into the alleged double murder is continuing.
