Channel 10 stars have shared touching tributes for former presenter Jesse Baird and her boyfriend Luke Davies after they were allegedly shot dead by a police officer.
Police will allege celebrity hunter and police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, shot the couple with his police pistol at Baird’s home in Paddington, in Sydney’s east.
Lamarre-Condon handed himself in to police in Bondi and appeared at Waverley Local Court on Friday afternoon. He has been charged with two counts of murder.
Baird, 26, was a well-known television personality and had worked as a presenter on Channel 10 since January 2017, including stints on children’s show Totally Wild and Studio 10.
Former Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird, 26 (right) and his new partner Luke Davies, 29 (left), were allegedly shot dead at Baird’s home in Paddington, Sydney’s inner east.
Channel 10 star Hugh Riminton led moving tributes to Mr Baird on social media, describing him as a “dear young colleague” (pictured).
National affairs editor and 10 News First anchor Hugh Riminton described Mr. Baird as a “dear young colleague” in a post shared with X on Friday.
“Rest in peace my dear young colleague, Jesse,” Riminton wrote.
“Happy with a new man, and they say that was the problem.” Our deepest condolences also go out to the family and friends of Luke Davies. Lots of tears tonight.’
Fellow colleague and veteran Channel 10 anchor Sandra Sully shared Riminton’s post with the caption “heartbroken newsroom” followed by three broken heart emojis.
Abbie Chatfield also shared a touching tribute to Mr Baird, explaining that he was the first person she met when she started online.
The Australian media personality, television host and radio presenter described Mr Baird as “charming, friendly and funny”.
‘I am very devastated to hear the news from Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Working for Channel 10, we all crossed paths regularly during our time there,” Chatfield wrote.
‘Jesse was one of the first people I met in Chapter 10 when I had just finished undergrad. I went to an industry event and didn’t know anyone. I felt really intimidated and he showed up and let me hang on to him all night, introducing me to people, reminding me who was who, and making sure I felt comfortable.
“He was charming and kind and funny and gave me a time of day when I was a single girl and a lot of people didn’t want to talk to me.”
Australian media personality, television presenter and radio presenter Abbie Chatfield said she was “devastated” by the couple’s deaths and said Mr Baird’s “kindness left a lasting impression”.
Chatfield said he hoped “justice would be served in the most severe manner.”
“This is not only a great loss for those close to the two men, but also for the queer community as a whole. Rest in peace,” Chatfield wrote.
According to court documents, Baird and Davies, 29, were allegedly murdered by Lamarre-Condon in Paddington between 12.01am and 5.30pm on Monday.
The shooting allegedly occurred just hours after they were last seen alive at a pre-Mardi Gras party on Sunday at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills.
Later Monday night, Lamarre-Condon rented a white Toyota HiAce van from Mascot and allegedly used it to dispose of the couple’s bodies, police said.
Detectives believe Lamarre-Condon then returned the alleged murder weapon to a locked police station safe on Tuesday.
He took sick leave from the New South Wales Police for the rest of the day and was unable to return to work on Wednesday.
Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon (pictured) was accused of murdering flight attendant Luke Davies and former Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird.
Bloody clothes and other belongings, including credit cards, belonging to the former Messrs Baird and Davies, were found dumped in a rubbish bin in Cronulla on Wednesday.
That discovery led police to Mr Baird’s Paddington home, where pools of blood and blood-spattered furniture were found, raising grave fears among the new lovers.
Homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said police had compared a bullet casing found at the premises to a police weapon.
“Police located a projectile on the premises that had been fired and also a fired cartridge,” Detective Doherty said.
“This has now been physically compared to a NSW Police firearm and forms part of the evidence of the alleged acts this 28-year-old man will face in court.”
The bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies have not yet been found.
Lamarre-Condon did not apply for bail during his court appearance on Friday and will appear again on April 23.
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