Ex-pilot Greg Lynn murdered Carol Clay, not Russell Hill

Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn has been found guilty of murdering Carol Clay – but acquitted of the murder of Russell Hill – after the pair died on a camping trip to Victoria’s high country. Now, their “devastated” families have spoken out.

High country killer Greg Lynn has been found guilty of the murder of missing camper Carol Clay but not Russell Hill.

On Tuesday, the seventh day of deliberations, a Supreme Court jury returned its verdict and convicted the former Jetstar captain, 57, of the murder of Mrs Clay, 73, who vanished during a camping trip to the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020.

“Not guilty,” the jury’s forewoman said to the murder charge against Mr Hill, 74.

“Guilty,” she said to the murder charge against Mrs Clay.

Wearing the same black suit and blue shirt he had worn for most of the trial, Lynn, who was seated in the dock for the verdict, showed little emotion as he learnt his fate.

His son, Geordie, and one of Mr Hill’s daughters, Colleen, were seated in the body of the court for the verdict, alongside detectives from the missing persons squad and more than 20 members of the media.

The upstairs public gallery was at capacity, with some forced to stand.

Justice Michael Croucher thanked the jury for their service, noting it was a “very difficult process” before he discharged them.

As Lynn was led from the dock, he whispered to his son: “Don’t stress”.

Accompanied by a lawyer, Geordie refused to comment as he left the court.

Lynn was loaded on to a prison truck and left the court about 1.40pm.

A man yelled obscenities as the vehicle exited onto Lonsdale St.

The former pilot, who has been in custody since his November 2021 arrest, will return to the Supreme Court for a mention hearing on July 19.

Carol Clay was murdered during a camping trip to the Wonnangatta Valley with her secret lover Russell Hill.

The families of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay said they were both “relieved and devastated” by the verdict.

“We thank the jury for their verdict of guilty in the murder of Carol Clay. It was an extremely difficult task given that the accused destroyed so much evidence,” they said in a statement.

“The verdict of not guilty in relation to the murder Russell Hill is devastating. There was not enough evidence to be sure of how he died.”

They thanked Crown prosecutors Daniel Porceddu and Kathryn Hamill, while acknowledging the difficult task they had given there were no eyewitnesses to their loved ones’ deaths.

“The accused was the only person who saw and experienced what happened. He was also the only person who emerged alive,” the statement read.

The families also extended their gratitude to the missing persons squad, in particular Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper and Sergeant Brett Florence.

“They have gone above and beyond in their duties to solve this case and we sincerely thank them for their time, effort, persistence, care and professionalism to bring us answers,” they said.

“We are heartbroken at the loss of our loved ones. It will take time to absorb the verdicts, put this behind us and set about healing and getting on with our lives,” they continued.

In a statement, Victoria Police praised the “determination and perseverance” of missing persons squad detectives who worked on the case.

“Victoria Police acknowledges the decision of the jury today,” the statement said.

“Our thoughts are with the Hill and Clay families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past four years have been for them.

“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.

“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.”

How the trial unfolded

Lynn had claimed the couple was accidentally killed in separate struggles involving a shotgun and a kitchen knife after a dispute with Mr Hill over his drone.

After murdering Mrs Clay, Lynn burnt the campers’ bodies and campsite in a bid to cover up his crime.

But the 12-person jury rejected this account and unanimously agreed he murdered Carol Clay – but not Russell Hill – before disposing of and burning the pair’s bodies to conceal his crime.

The five-week trial heard from 49 witnesses, including other campers, hunters, family and friends of the missing campers, forensic experts, police and Lynn himself.

There were no eyewitnesses to the couple’s deaths and Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu conceded the precise circumstances, such as a motive, were unknown other than that Mrs Clay was “shot to the head”.

He said Lynn likely murdered Mr Hill after a dispute over the elderly camper’s drone, before shooting Mrs Clay because she was a witness.

In his police interview and testimony, Lynn claimed the deadly confrontation was sparked when Mr Hill took the ex-pilot’s shotgun from his car and threatened to take it to police because he had filmed him on his drone hunting close to the campsite.

Lynn said he tried to grab the gun back before Mrs Clay was accidentally shot in the head as the men struggled over the weapon.

Enraged by Mrs Clay’s death, Lynn claimed Mr Hill then charged at him with a kitchen knife before he, too, was accidentally killed when he fell on to the blade during a scuffle.

In his closing address, Mr Porceddu labelled Lynn’s story “complete fiction” as he took the jury through several inconsistencies in his account.

“The accused story is indeed a series of very unfortunate events,” he said.

“Like the book series of that name, it is a complete fiction.”

Lynn’s Barathrum Arms SP-12 shotgun, which was used to murder Carol Clay. Picture: Supreme Court of Victoria

According to Lynn, Mr Hill threatened to take the firearm and drone footage to police before the two wrestled over it when Lynn tried to get it back.

Mr Porceddu said there were a number of reasons why that account was “implausible”, such as how Lynn claimed Mr Hill confiscated his shotgun, despite the elderly camper raising concerns about him hunting with a rifle.

Lynn also claimed Mr Hill took a box of ammunition which he loaded into the gun as he walked away but Mr Porceddu questioned why he would load it if he was simply confiscating the weapon.

He also noted that, on Lynn’s account, Mr Hill left Lynn’s rifle behind, despite the men being hostile to each other.

“Don’t you think you’d make sure he wasn’t left with another gun?” he said.

Mr Porceddu said Lynn had 20 months before his arrest to rehearse his “script” but it was still flawed.

Lynn admitted he stole about $40 cash from the dead couple’s wallets and used it to buy fuel.

He pointed out there was a guy rope connected to the bullbar of Mr Hill’s LandCruiser which the men would’ve been “hopelessly entangled” in during the struggle.

He said Lynn killed Mr Hill first because Mrs Clay was unlikely to provoke a violent confrontation or pose a threat.

“In other words, she was eliminated because she was a witness,” he said.

Had he not been killed first, he said Mr Hill would’ve called for help via his radio.

Having murdered the pair, Mr Porceddu said Lynn commenced an “elaborate, calculated and protracted” series of actions to disguise his involvement.

Lynn admitted dumping the bodies in remote bushland before returning eight months later and setting fire to their remains, telling police he panicked and covered up their deaths because he was worried about his career and family.

“These explanations can be rejected,” Mr Porceddu said.

“The only explanation open to you is that the accused undertook these steps believing he had murdered Mr Hill and Mrs Clay.”

During his closing address, defence barrister Dermot Dann KC accused the prosecution of employing “increasingly desperate and ill-fated” manoeuvres.

But ultimately the jury sided against him and convicted Lynn with the murder of Mrs Clay.

Lynn will return to court next month.

Originally published as Ex-pilot Greg Lynn murdered Carol Clay, not Russell Hill