Friend reveals final text from Luke Davies 30 minutes before 'unthinkable' tragedy

As friends, family and the broader Sydney community prepare to honour allegedly murdered couple Luke Davies and Jesse Baird in a public service this evening, more stories are emerging illustrating "how loved" they were and how much the pair "touched everyone's lives".

Friends of Davies, 29, have detailed his "funny" and cheeky nature, revealing one of the last text messages he likely sent before he was allegedly killed by NSW Policeman Beau Lamarre-Condon alongside his partner.

Long-time friend Dean Bailey, who knew "Lukey" from when he lived in Brisbane, said he received a text from him shortly before the alleged murders took place.

Bailey said he could "physically picture Luke laughing" when he received a message from him, less than an hour before the alleged deadly altercation took place.

One of Davies' final messages before alleged murder

"We’d always send funny Instagram memes back and forth to each other, and I received one at 9.18am the morning of the incident," Bailey told Sunrise on Friday morning.

"It was a funny Instagram meme, followed by a crying laughter emoji, which is pretty much what Luke was like. You could picture him physically laughing as he sent that message... to know that within 30 minutes after that, things took a turn for the worse and the unimaginable happened, it’s heartbreaking to think what went on from that message that he sent to me."

Another of Davies' friends Joel McCoy also spoke of his heartbreak, and said the horrific circumstances of the deaths of Baird and Davies made it had to grieve.

"I think it was really upsetting to hear that he kinda wasn’t actually meant to be there when it all unfolded," Mr McCoy said. "So, yeah, it does kinda change things a little bit and make it even harder again to grieve and accept that was just wrong place, wrong time."

The two men fronted media on Friday morning after Qantas, Davies' employer, revealed it will name its Mardi Gras float in honour of him.

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Vigils held to remember slain couple

Vigils will be held across both Sydney and Brisbane this evening in honour of the couple, whom loved ones have said were very "in love" and full of life at the time of their premature deaths.

NSW Police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, remains in custody at Silverwater prison after being charged last week with murdering both men. Lamarre-Condon allegedly killed both Baird and Davies at Baird's Paddington home in Sydney's inner east, before transporting them to a rural property in NSW's Southern Tablelands. Their bodies were found in surfboard bags in a shallow grave on Tuesday afternoon.

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