The investigation into the disappearance of a Sydney couple has taken yet another twist after friends of Jesse Baird say he was never in a relationship with his alleged killer.
Former Channel 10 presenter Baird, 26, and Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, were allegedly killed by Senior Constable Beau Lamarre, 28, in Baird's home on February 19.
Lamarre, 28, handed himself into police on Friday morning but refuses to cooperate with detectives.
New South Wales (NSW) Police have said Baird and Lamarre were in a relationship that "did not end well", which may be a motive for the alleged killing. However, friends of Baird have spoken out, claiming Baird did not reciprocate his alleged killer's feelings.
Isaac Muller told ABC News the pair were never in a relationship and instead had a casual "encounter".
"Jesse briefly had an encounter with Beau. He was not his ex-boyfriend," Muller told the outlet.
"They were never going out."
Another friend of Baird, Corey-Dean Thorpe, also claimed the pair were not in a relationship and rather had a strictly "friends with benefits" arrangement.
He told Daily Mail Australia that Lamarre had feelings for Baird that were not reciprocated, and Baird was forced to end their friendship after the police officer posted videos on Instagram falsely suggesting they were a couple.
"Jesse would be so angry at the portrayal in the media of Beau as his ex-partner, and it's disrespectful to Jesse's family that Beau is being made out to be his ex," Thorpe told the outlet.
"They were friends, but when Beau began filming them and putting videos on Instagram - which were hidden from Jesse - making it look as if they were a couple, Jesse told him, 'we can't be friends anymore'."
He also revealed that one day Baird called him in a panic, claiming he was followed home by a police car. He also said he saw a shadowy figure at the end of his bed in recent months before his alleged death.
"Corey, last night, this morning, I was sleeping in my bed and I had the feeling someone is standing over me, at the end of my bed watching me, and when I woke up they stole my phone and wallet. I bolted after them in Paddington," Thorpe said.
Police are investigating whether that incident was a possible break-in and if it has any connection to the alleged murders.
NSW Police on Monday alleged that Lamarre had shown "predatory behaviour" before the couple disappeared.
"We believe that the accused had attended Jesse's home address (and) had utilised a key to enter those premises. We believe that he took possession of Jesse’s phone and deleted contacts and messages," NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told reporters.
"None of this was reported to police at the time and we're trying to capture that from acquaintances and friends of Jessie and of Luke in relation to the activities that may make our brief stronger."
The whereabouts of the bodies and what happened to the couple remains a mystery, however, police alleged the pair were shot dead and have closed in their searches to a remote area just out of Sydney.
Police have narrowed their search for the couple's bodies to dams on a rural property about two hours south-west of Sydney.
The investigation started in Cronulla where blood-stained clothes, credit cards, keys, and an $8000 watch were found in a skip bin.
That led police to discover a bloodied scene at Baird's home in Paddington. They also searched two other properties, in Waterloo and Balmain.
New South Wales Police have said a bullet matching Beaumont Lamarre-Condon's work-issued gun was found at the crime scene.
A white van was seen on CCTV outside of Baird's home on February 19, when the alleged killings are thought to have occurred.
Detectives allege that Lamarre used the white van to remove the bodies from the home. They also allege that he used Baird's phone to text the deceased's friends on Tuesday.
Lamarre has been charged with two counts of murder.
