Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras

Hundreds of people have gathered in Sydney for a silent vigil to remember TV presenter Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies, whose bodies were found this week.

Baird, 26, and Davies, 29, were allegedly shot by a police officer in Baird's Sydney home last week. Their bodies were found inside "surf bags" on a rural property in Bungonia, about 120 miles southwest of Sydney, according to New South Wales Police. 

Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, a senior police constable and the former partner of Baird, was charged on Friday with the murders of both men. Lamarre-Condon, 28, gave police the information that led them to the bodies after turning himself in. Police allege that the ex-celebrity blogger "killed the couple" at Baird's home on 19 February, said Sky News. Lamarre-Condon is being held without bail and will next appear in court on 23 April.  

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The case prompted organisers of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade tomorrow to ask police not to march. The alleged killer has taken part in the parade in the past, organisers said. It has also sparked debate about off-duty officers' access to service firearms, as the couple were allegedly shot with a police-issued gun.

What's happened so far?

Concerns were raised after Baird, a former Network 10 presenter, and his partner Davies, a Qantas flight attendant, weren't seen for several days. Last Wednesday, bloodied clothing and personal items were found in a skip, leading police to launch a missing persons investigation.

Police found a "large amount" of blood in Baird's home, said The Guardian. On Thursday, they searched a house that property records implied was Lamarre-Condon's family home, according to the paper. 

Lamarre-Condon surrendered at the Bondi Beach police station on Friday, and was charged with two counts of murder, appearing in Waverley local court the same day. He did not apply for bail. On Saturday, police began searching for the bodies of the missing couple. 

NSW police commissioner Karen Webb has confirmed Lamarre-Condon has been dismissed from the force. 

What happened?

Police claim that Lamarre-Condon signed out a handgun at the Miranda police station in south Sydney, the Friday before the couple died, under the pretext that he would be working at a protest event that weekend; whether or not he did is unclear. 

Neighbours heard gunshots near Baird's home on the Monday, but did not report them until some days later. An emergency call was also made on Monday from Davies' phone, but was terminated before being connected. 

Lamarre-Condon allegedly rented a van from Sydney airport, and used it to transport personal items belonging to the couple to the skip where they were found on Wednesday. He made "partial admissions" to an acquaintance of "having been involved in the deaths of two individuals", police said.

Police allege that Lamarre-Condon drove to and broke into the property where the bodies were later found. He returned to Sydney on Friday, and handed himself in.

Police are treating the double murder as domestic violence, after Lamarre-Condon allegedly engaged in "predatory behaviour" and stalked Baird for months, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. 

Investigators believe Baird was the "singular target" of the alleged "murder plot", while Davies was killed "simply for being with his partner at the Paddington terrace where they lost their lives", sources told the paper. 

"We will strongly be claiming in our case that this murder was premeditated," assistant commissioner Michael Fitzgerald told the Nine Network.

What next?

With the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade scheduled for this weekend, the event's board initially asked NSW Police not to participate. 

Former Mardi Gras board director Charlie Murphy described the NSW Police's apology over the weekend for "failing to investigate crimes against the queer community" as "hollow", said ABC News.

But some officers called it a "step backwards" after progress they had fought for in the police force. "I don't know what's achieved by removing 20 or 30 queer cops from the parade, who are valued members of our community, who are the ones advocating for change," an anonymous source told the news site. 

The Mardi Gras board and NSW Police reached a compromise: officers will be allowed to march as a group, but out of uniform and without a parade float, in a "reduced" capacity.

The NSW Council of Civil Liberties also called for "an immediate independent inquiry into police use of force and access to weapons", according to a letter to the police minister seen by Guardian Australia.  

"We cannot understand why general duties police officers are able to gain access to lethal weapons," wrote president Lydia Shelly. "This practice must end."