Sydney: Australian police on Friday charged one of their officers with the double murder of a television presenter and his flight attendant boyfriend, whose bodies have yet to be found.
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the 28-year-old serving police constable had been charged with two murders following a three-day high-profile manhunt across Sydney.
Earlier this week, a chance discovery of bloodstained clothing in a suburban trash bin led detectives to the home of former red carpet presenter and journalist Jesse Baird, 26.
During a search of Baird’s city center flat, detectives said they found a “large amount of blood” and had “serious concerns” for both him and his friend, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29.
The pair are presumed dead.
A projectile found in the apartment matched a police-issued firearm.
The gun has since been found in a police station safe.
The accused officer was said to have been in a relationship with Baird until recently when it ended badly.
Baird was a presenter on Australia’s Network Ten.
On Friday, an officer reported to Bondi police station near the country’s famous beach.
Footage of the arrest shows him handcuffed and escorted into the building wearing a dark baseball cap and sneakers.
He remains in custody and police will oppose bail.
Australian media reported that the suspect was a celebrity stalker and blogger before joining the police and had been photographed with Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Ben Stiller and many others.
He was previously investigated for aggressively shoving an Aboriginal man in 2020 after a video of the incident surfaced online.
Reports in 2014 suggested he publicly came out as gay when he threw a letter on stage at a Lady Gaga concert, which the star read to a crowd that included his sister.
“A charge of two murders has been laid,” Doherty said, adding that police were now focused on finding the bodies of the two missing men.
Police say the remains of both men were taken away in a white van and disposed of.
Forensic examinations of the delivery are underway.
“It’s really important that we find the bodies, not only because of the cause of death, but also because there’s an answer for the grieving family,” Doherty said.
