The criminal trial of Gregory Lynn, the former Jetstar pilot accused of murdering Victorian couple Russell Hill and Carol Clay at a campsite in 2020, is over, with Lynn found guilty of the murder of clay, Clay, but not Hill.
The story of the disappearance of Hill (74) and Clay (73) gripped the nation in March 2020 as police tried to investigate what happened to the elderly couple. In November 2021, Lynn was arrested by Victorian police and charged with the alleged murders. Lynn always maintained his innocence.
In court today, the jury made their decision that Lynn had murdered Carol Clay, but was acquitted of murdering Russell Hill. The decision was made after six days of deliberations, and a five-week trial.
A statement from Victoria Police Assistance Commissioner Martin O’Brien acknowledged how difficult the past four years have been for the Hill and Clay families.
“Their courage and resilience in the face of their grief, amidst enormous public attention, has been nothing short of extraordinary. We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision,” read the statement.
“We would also like to acknowledge the determination and perseverance of Missing Persons Squad detectives over the course of this exhaustive and complex investigation, as well as the significant support received from a number of specialist areas and local police from right across Victoria Police.”
After years of further investigation, in January 2023 a case was made by Victorian police, who alleged Clay and Hill were murdered by Lynn, and the case was accepted by the Supreme Court of Victoria. After delays due to “personal funding” issues, the criminal trial began on May 16, 2024.
Over the course of the trial, Lynn’s lawyers have maintained that the deaths of the two campers were a “tragic” accident, but that ultimately the 57-year-old former Jetstar pilot is not guilty of murder or manslaughter. In their closing statement, the prosecution told the jury that Lynn “knew he had murdered” the campers.
Police, alleged that Lynn killed both Hill and Clay with murderous intent, although the circumstances and motive of the alleged crime were uncertain. Hill and Clay’s burned remains were found in the form of over 2100 bone fragments, at a location provided by Lynn after his arrest.
Here’s everything we know about the trial of Gregory Lynn and the deaths of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
What happened to Russell Hill and Carol Clay?
Hill and Clay were last seen camping at the same site as Lynn at a venue called Bucks Camp in the Wonnangatta Valley of Victoria’s high country, on March 20, 2020.
Both the defence and prosecution agreed that there may have been a dispute between the two parties occurred over Hill’s use of a drone and Lynn’s hunting on the campsite, and that Hill and Clay died that night.
In an interview conducted after his arrest in 2021, Lynn told police that after returning from stalking deer near the campsite that Hill accused him of hunting too close to the site, and that he had used a drone to capture footage of Lynn hunting that he was going to take to the police.
In response, Lynn told police he played loud music from his car speaker that night. Lynn said this led to a physical dispute between the parties involving Lynn’s shotgun and resulted in the two deaths.
The prosecution and defence also agreed that Lynn moved the bodies from the crime scene, and made efforts to separate himself from the deaths including destroying evidence by burning the camp site and disposing of the bodies a separate location.
How did the defence say Russell Hill and Carol Clay died?
Defence barrister Dermot Dann KC, the man leading Gregory Lynn’s legal team, told the court that what happened on March 20, 2020 was “two accidental, tragic deaths“, and that Lynn’s actions were made to defend himself.
According to Lynn’s recount of events, Hill took Lynn’s shotgun from his vehicle and fired shots into the air. When asked to return the weapon the two men engaged in a “chaotic scene” of struggling against each other for the weapon.
As the two men struggled for control of the weapon, Lynn alleged that the shotgun was accidentally fired and hit Carol Clay in the head, fatally wounding her.
“The two were wrestling over the gun causing an accidental discharge … which struck Ms Clay in the head while positioned on the near side of Hill’s vehicle,” Dann said, per Daily Mail Australia.
Lynn said that upon Hill seeing this he ran to Clay’s body and shouting “she’s dead”, he charged at Lynn with a knife. As the two men fell to the ground, Lynn’s defence said the “knife goes through the chest of Mr Hill” and he died at the scene.
Lynn admitted to the court that his actions to distance himself from the deaths made him “sick“, but he did them while in a “panicked” state. However, he initially believed that the bodies would be found.
“If I wanted to hide the bodies, I would have dragged them off into the bush. They were right next to the track,” he told the court.
The former pilot also admitted that after being questioned by police in July 2020 he returned to the bodies in November that year to burn the remains — an act he described as “horrific”.
How does the prosecution say Russell Hill and Carol Clay died?
Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu told the jury that Lynn’s version of events are to be completely rejected as a “fanciful” retelling.
“The accused’s story is indeed a series of very unfortunate events. Like the book series it is also a complete fiction, you can and should reject it readily beyond all reasonable doubt,” Porceddu said.
The prosecution allege that it would be difficult for the shotgun to have been discharged accidentally, and have accused Lynn of first murdering Hill due to the dispute over the drone, then murdering Clay “because she was a witness”.
“The prosecution alleges Mr Hill was killed first, in part because Clay would’ve been unlikely to pose a threat to Lynn — other than being a witness to what they allege was Hill being killed first,” stated Porceddu.
The prosecution alleged that Lynn’s actions following the deaths were “deliberate” efforts to “disguise his involvement in and the manner of [Hill and Clay’s] deaths”.
“He knew he had murdered them and, if the scene had been left as it was, the forensic evidence would reveal that fact,” said Porceddu.
The prosecution made the allegation that there were flaws in Lynn’s version of events, such as why Hill would initiate the struggle by stealing Lynn’s weapon from his car, and why the two men did not trip over a rope at the location of the alleged struggle.
“The so-called struggle for the gun is the whole linchpin in the accused’s story. Once that falls like a house of cards, everything else tumbles with it,” Porceddu told the court.
More to come.
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