Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn has been committed to stand trial for the alleged murders of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
The Melbourne Magistrates' Court finalised on Wednesday a committal hearing to test whether there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet today told the court he had "considered the totality of evidence" and believed the evidence presented to the court had "sufficient weight to support a conviction".
Mr Lynn formally entered a plea of not guilty to both of the charges and did not make an application for bail.
Magistrate Sonnet also praised the dignity shown by the families of Mr Hill and Ms Clay, some of whom had been at the court hearing.
"I understand that would have been a very difficult experience," he said of attending the hearing.
Mr Lynn is accused of murdering the pair in the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian High Country on March 20, 2020.
First significant hearing in high profile case
During the hearing, spread across more than a week, Mr Lynn sat quietly in court, intently listening to witnesses, often taking notes.
He was dressed in a dark suit, with a checked shirt and glasses.
His voice was loud and clear in the rare moments he addressed Magistrate Sonnet.
Mr Lynn was charged with the murders of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in November 2021, but this was the first significant hearing in his case.
The case has been the subject of substantial public attention for years.
It was back in March 2020 that the public first heard of the disappearance of two retirees in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria's picturesque High Country.
It is one of Victoria's most remote regions, being a six hour drive from Melbourne.
A four-wheel drive is needed to make it to the valley, and in winter it can be inaccessible when there are road closures.
It was here that police started an extensive search of rugged bushland after the pair were reported missing.
Their burnt-out campsite and Mr Hill's white Landcruiser were found, but the retirees were not.
It was not until November 2021 that police arrested then Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn at Arbuckle Junction – a tiny spot on the map in Victoria's High Country.
He was questioned for four days at the Sale police station in Gippsland before being charged with two counts of murder.
The bodies of Mr Hill and Ms Clay were found shortly after.
Hearing provided a glimpse into police case against Mr Lynn
While the case has long been covered by the media, it was only in a small courtroom at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court that a public account of Victoria Police's allegations were heard for the first time.
Here Magistrate Sonnet sat elevated above the courtroom.
On the left, Crown Prosecutor John Dickie faced the magistrate, and to his right sat barrister Dermot Dann KC, representing Mr Lynn.
It was Mr Dickie's job to convince the court that the case should go to trial, while Mr Dann's job was to defend his client.
In the public gallery, a large media contingent, as well as police and family of the victims, watched each day of the hearing.
It was during this hearing that police released a summary of their allegations.
The court heard Mr Lynn planned to plead not guilty and would contest the charges.
While Mr Dickie emphasised that this summary did not include all the evidence police will rely on, it did provide the first real glimpse into exactly what police say happened.
Police alleged Mr Lynn murdered both campers at their campsite and used a trailer to move their bodies to bushland outside of Dargo.
In the summary document, police alleged Mr Lynn later returned to burn their bodies.
The police brief also alleged Mr Lynn was captured by Mount Hotham Alpine Resort security cameras driving out of the area the next day. Data captured by a mobile phone tower showed Mr Hill's phone in the same location.
The police case also relied on more than 5,000 covert recordings of Mr Lynn that were made using listening devices in his house, car and through his calls being recorded.
Police alleged those recordings included Mr Lynn having conversations with himself about the deaths of Ms Clay and Mr Hill.
Police held 'genuine concern' for Mr Lynn's mental health
In the final day of the hearing, Lead Investigator Detective Senior Constable Brett Florence also told the court that on the morning of Mr Lynn's arrest, police held "genuine concern" for his mental health.
But under questioning from Mr Dann, the detective said no medical assessment or help was provided to Mr Lynn at the Sale police station where he was questioned.
He later told the court Mr Lynn was not arrested until that night, when he no longer held the same concern.
Mr Lynn's interview with police, and an earlier statement made to police, form part of the case against him, but cannot be reported because of a suppression order put in place by Magistrate Sonnet.
That suppression order will remain in place until a trial begins in the Supreme Court.
