Jesse Alan Baird (4 September 1997 – 19 February 2024) was an Australian television presenter and Australian rules football goal umpire.[5] Baird worked as a presenter and reporter on various Network 10 programs, including Totally Wild, Gamify and Studio 10.[6][7][8] He officiated 62 matches as an Australian Football League umpire, including two finals.[9]
Jesse Baird | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Baird in December 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Jesse Alan Baird[1] 4 September 1997[2] Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 19 February 2024 (aged 26) Paddington, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Body discovered | Bungonia, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | J.B.[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | La Trobe University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2017–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partner |
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Early life
Baird was born in Melbourne,[2] where he grew up in the north-eastern suburbs.[10] He graduated from Loyola College in 2015,[11] then achieved a Bachelor of Education degree from La Trobe University in 2019, majoring in drama and media.[12] He moved to Brisbane in early 2017 to pursue a television career.[13] He moved to Sydney in 2023 for further producing and umpiring work.[9]
Television career
Baird worked as a presenter and reporter on various Network 10 programs. In early 2017, he joined the cast of children's television series Totally Wild, remaining as a presenter alongside Stacey Thomson, until the show's final episode on 27 June 2021.[6][14] In 2019, Baird was announced as the host of Gamify, a game show which aired on 10 Peach.[7][15] He was also a red carpet reporter on Studio 10, until the program was cancelled in December 2023.[8]
Umpiring career
Baird became an Australian rules football goal umpire in 2011 with the Northern Football Netball League, winning the NFNL's Most Improved Senior Umpire award and officiating the Division 1 Grand Final in 2015.[16] Baird moved to Brisbane in 2017 where he joined the NEAFL, umpiring Grand Finals in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, he was named the NEAFL Goal Umpire of the Year.[16][17] In 2020, he joined the Australian Football League (AFL) list. He made his AFL debut officiating a match between Gold Coast and Port Adelaide.[16][17]
Baird won the Brian Pratt Medallion for most promising AFL umpire in 2020 and 2021.[1] His fiftieth game came in round six of the 2023 season.[17] He officiated 62 matches as an AFL umpire, including two finals.[9]
Disappearance and death
Baird and his partner Luke Davies, aged 29, were last seen on the evening of 18 February 2024.[18][19] Baird was scheduled to umpire an AFL pre-season practice match between Sydney and Greater Western Sydney on 20 February. However, he did not arrive.[9]
On 21 February, bloodied clothes, a phone, credit cards, keys, and an $8,000 watch belonging to Davies were found in a skip bin in Cronulla.[20][21] Police subsequently attended Baird's home in Paddington where they found upended furniture, a large quantity of blood, and a projectile and casing that allegedly matched a police firearm.[22]
Police alleged Baird and Davies were killed on the morning of 19 February. Shouting and gunshots were heard from the residence, and a 000 emergency phone call was made on Davies' phone, in which the operator heard a man shouting "get out, get out" before the call was disconnected. A police car was dispatched but drove down the street without stopping at Baird's house.[23]
On 23 February, New South Wales police officer Senior Constable Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, aged 28 and known as Beau Lamarre,[24] handed himself in to Bondi Police Station and was charged with two counts of murder.[25] Investigators allege Lamarre's crimes followed months of "predatory behaviour” towards Baird,[26] with whom witnesses report Lamarre had falsely claimed to be in a relationship.[27] Lamarre-Condon was remanded in custody to appear in court in late April.[28] Lamarre purchased two surfboard bags, the same type in which the victims' bodies were later found; one on 17 February two days before the killings and one on the afternoon of 19 February.[29] He rented a white Toyota HiAce van from Mascot at 9:30 pm on 19 February.[20] It was seen in Lambton on 22 February before being abandoned in Grays Point.[21] Police alleged that the van was used to transport the bodies of Baird and Davies.[21][30]
On 27 February, Baird and Davies' bodies were found on a property in Bungonia, New South Wales, near Goulburn, following information from the accused.[31][32]
See also
References
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