Beaumont Lamarre-Condon handed himself in to police on Friday and was later charged with two counts of murder, following the disappearance of former Ten reporter Jesse Baird, 26, and Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29.
Lamarre-Condon did not make a bail application at Waverley Local Court and his matter was next set down for April 23 in Downing Centre Local Court.
Flowers are being laid at a Sydney home after the suspected murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Multiple floral tributes have been laid outside the Paddington terrace where Mr Baird lived, and police allege the murders took place.
Mr Baird's former Channel 10 colleagues also took to social media to pay their respects.
"RIP my beloved young colleague, Jesse," Network Ten presenter Hugh Riminton wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Condolences also to the family and friends of Luke Davies. Many tears tonight."
Presenter Sandra Sully wrote on the same platform: "newsroom heartbroken".
Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich called for more action to make sure the LGBTQI community was safe in NSW.
"We need a review of police training when it comes to LGBTQI issues," he said.
Independent Alex Greenwich says there needs to be more action to keep the LGBTQI community safe. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
"That needs to be delivered in a co-designed way with LGBTQI communities."
Mr Greenwich said the heartbreak for the families of the missing men may also be triggering for those who had similar experiences.
"It's important people know they have access to services such as QLife," he said of the phone and web-based support service.
Earlier, the AFL put out a statement expressing its sadness at the news regarding Mr Baird, who was recently acting as an umpire for AFL and VFL games, and his partner Mr Davies.
The statement described Mr Baird as "a popular and respected member of our AFL umpiring family" whose career spanned 62 AFL matches, including two finals.
The AFL is deeply saddened to learn of the distressing news today regarding umpire Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies.— AFL (@AFL) The entire AFL family's thoughts are with both Jesse and Luke's families, as well as our umpiring and broader team during this very difficult time.February 23, 2024
There were fears for Mr Baird and Mr Davies after their possessions were found in a skip bin in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on Wednesday.
Lamarre-Condon had previously dated Mr Baird.
"We are still very much keen and focused on trying to recover the bodies and find out where they are," Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said on Friday.
The discovery of the couple's items led police to Mr Baird's blood-smeared share house, about 30km away in inner-city Paddington.
Police said investigators found a discharged gunshot round at the home and that it had been matched to a NSW Police firearm.
CCTV footage captured from a neighbouring property showed a white van outside Mr Baird's house shortly before the couple disappeared
Police found a discharged gunshot round at Mr Baird's share house in Paddington. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)
The van, a Toyota HiAce, was hired in Mascot on Monday night and police believe it was used to move the bodies of the two men to an unknown location after they were killed at the Paddington house.
Lamarre-Condon, who up until days ago had an active social media presence, joined the police force in 2019.
Footage of the recently graduated officer tasering a man at close range in Darlinghurst went viral in 2020, prompting an internal review.
An investigation later cleared him of any wrongdoing.
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