A former police officer accused of fatally shooting a Sydney couple allegedly sought help to dispose of a mobile phone linked to the case, a New South Wales Supreme Court heard on Thursday.

Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, faces two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter in connection with the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. The pair were reportedly shot with Lamarre-Condon’s police service weapon at Baird’s home in Paddington on February 19, 2024. Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Testimony from Lamarre-Condon’s friend Stacey Parker, who resides in Western Australia, shed light on interactions shortly before and after the alleged murders. Parker said she had known Lamarre-Condon since 2010, when they first met while attempting to meet American rapper Pitbull outside a television studio in Sydney. Their acquaintance continued intermittently over the years, with discussions ranging from celebrity encounters to shared views on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parker described how, on February 12, 2024, Lamarre-Condon suggested switching their communications to the encrypted messaging platform Signal. A day after the alleged shootings, he reportedly contacted Parker, claiming he had taken police files related to COVID-19 from the police commissioner and asked if she could help dispose of a phone. He requested that she turn the device on for approximately 10 minutes to allow it to “ping” before switching it off and discarding it in a body of water some 30 to 40 kilometers from her home.

In a subsequent phone call two days later, Lamarre-Condon allegedly informed Parker that detectives were searching for him and had visited his mother’s residence. He asserted he had been “set up” in relation to the disappearance of two men in Sydney, one of whom he said he used to know. Parker told the court that his tone in this later conversation was insistent, as though he wanted reassurance that she understood the instructions regarding the phone. Despite Lamarre-Condon’s request, Parker said she never received the device.

Prosecutors also presented a statement from Jemma Barge, a friend and former colleague of Jesse Baird, detailing the last known messages sent from Baird’s phone. On the night before his death, Baird sent Barge a good luck message for her first day at a new job. The following day, she replied and arranged to meet the next week. A final message from Baird’s phone, sent the day after the murders, indicated he might be traveling to Perth but promised to update her if plans changed.

Parker also testified that Lamarre-Condon had posted a photograph with socialite Kourtney Kardashian and musician Travis Barker, and she had earlier encouraged him to facilitate contact with country singer Lainey Wilson, sending a message on February 16.

The trial continues as the court examines the evidence and testimonies related to the deaths of Baird and Davies and Lamarre-Condon’s alleged involvement.