Hhigh country campers’ loved ones want ‘the truth’ from Greg Lynn

As Greg Lynn was sentenced to 32 years in jail for the murder of Carol Clay, the family of Russell Hill says he should come clean on what really happened to the campers, while the parents of his late former wife say they’re still “looking for justice”.

Greg Lynn should admit to what really happened in the Victorian High Country where campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay were killed, says Mr Hill’s family.

It comes as the former Jetstar pilot was jailed for 32 years for murdering Carol Clay, 73, at Bucks Camp in the expansive Wonnangatta Valley in March, 2020.

But in a split decision in June the jury found Lynn not guilty of the murder of 74-year-old Mr Hill, with no evidence other than the killer’s account as to how he died.

Lynn testified Mr Hill had attacked him with a knife after Mrs Clay was accidentally shot in the head.

Mr Hill’s daughter, Debbie, told the Herald Sun the family believed Lynn was responsible for their father’s death and that his testimony was a work of fiction.

Greg Lynn leaves the Supreme Court after sentencing. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

Lynn gave evidence blaming Mr Hill for causing an altercation between them by taking his gun, warning him off by firing the weapon into the air and then chasing him before a deadly struggle.

“I don’t think he will but he definitely hasn’t told the truth and he needs to,” Ms Hill said.

“The families need to know what really happened and he has no reason not to tell us the truth.

“It’s no surprise he will appeal because he has nothing to lose.

“But he’s still not owning up to his role as a murderer …. he’s not remorseful.

“I think his whole version of events is fabricated and untrue. That’s why we would like to know what the truth is.”

Robyn Hill with her daughters at the Supreme Court. Picture: Jason Edwards

Ms Hill said Lynn could not bring himself to look at her during a self-serving apology coolly delivered from the Supreme Court witness box during the trial.

Nothing had changed on Friday as he held his gaze at the judge.

Lynn, however, doubled down on his apology in a written letter submitted to Justice Michael Croucher which was read out in court.

It stated how he was “disappointed and perplexed” at his murder conviction and that he would appeal it.

Lynn, by his own account, had acted “despicably” by methodically cleaning up the horrendous scene and removing the bodies of the elderly pair.

The then 53-year-old then hid the bodies at a second crime scene off the Union Spur Track deep in the valley only to return eight months later to burn them with kerosene and obliterate their remains to “finish” the job.

Campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill were killed in Victoria’s high country.

Police only recovered the remains after Lynn opted to tell homicide detectives of the location following his arrest in November, 2021.

“And I drove back up there and just set fire to it,” Lynn told Det Sgt Florence during his record of interview.

“There’s nothing to see, nothing to be found. Go and have a look. You’ll find evidence of the fire and … It is what it is. That was in November.’’

Lynn told detectives during the marathon police interview that a dispute over Mr Hill’s drone and footage of him deer hunting close to the Bucks Camp site later led to a deadly confrontation.

To explain to detectives why he failed to turn himself in following Mr Hill’s and Mrs Clay’s deaths, Lynn drew up a list of scenarios in front of their eyes.

Among his reasons for destroying evidence and covering his tracks was that the truth would upset his family, end his career and that he would no longer be able to enjoy going to his gun club.

The ongoing investigation into Lynn exposed a man with a vicious temper who killed pets and mistreated his first wife, Lisa Lynn. Picture: Jason Edwards

Lynn described to investigators how his pilot training, which began when he joined the RAAF, kicked in and enabled him to compartmentalise what needed to be done to cover up his tracks in the immediate aftermath of the carnage at Bucks Camp.

The pilot told them how he cleaned and burned the camp site, stole items, including money, to make it look like a robbery, and lifted the bodies of Mrs Clay and Mr Hill onto a trailer before transporting them deeper into the valley.

Lynn, however, had not anticipated a temporary gate would block his escape route, leading him to change course and be snapped by an ANPR camera on the Great Alpine Road as he made his way home to Caroline Springs in Melbourne’s west.

And he forgot one other detail – to switch off Mr Hill’s phone which pinged from a nearby tower about the time he was caught on camera.

Police only recovered the remains after Lynn opted to tell homicide detectives of the location following his arrest in November, 2021. Picture: Supplied

This part of the tragic tale gives the Hill family some solace – that it was Mr Hill’s phone that helped police catch a murderer.

“Without that they (police) would not have been able to link it all,” Ms Hill said.

“If it (the phone) was switched off it could not have pinged (the tower).”

The families of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay have closed ranks throughout this ordeal, gathering at an eatery following the sentencing.

They know Lynn will appeal.

But they also know that his evil act, carried out in a place where there were no eyewitnesses who survived other than him, has shone a spotlight on a loner with a history investigators are still probing.

A neighbour found a lifeless Mrs Lynn in the foetal position outside her home.

This ongoing investigation into Lynn has led detectives across the globe and exposed a man with a vicious temper who killed pets and mistreated his first wife, Lisa Lynn.

A wire-tap inside Lynn’s family home even picked up a nickname for him – Wolf Creek.

Decades earlier, during acrimonious divorce proceedings in 1999, Lisa Lynn was found dead in the front yard of their Mount Macedon property as her two sons slept inside.

Lisa Lynn’s parents, David and Kim Searle, listened to Lynn’s sentencing from their home in Tasmania.

“Our thoughts are with the Hill and Clay families,” they said.

Mr Searle said they were also looking for answers.

“We are still looking for justice for our daughter,” he said.

“Because of his nature, there was always a chance of him losing control and putting himself in this position.”

Police found neighbours who were wary of Greg Lynn and pilots who did not want to fly with him. Picture: Supplied

A neighbour found a lifeless Mrs Lynn in the foetal position outside her home and after finding Geordie peering through a window at him checked inside.

While inside he heard a CD playing, saw family photos strewn across the lounge room floor and the remnants of a drink and pills in the kitchen.

The youngest, Elliott, was crying upstairs.

Lynn, who was at the time living in inner Melbourne with a new girlfriend, told police of his movements that night.

Police found neighbours who were wary of him and pilots who did not want to fly with him.

A report being prepared by police will be given to the Victorian Coroner aimed at reopening an inquiry.

Whether Lynn’s alibi holds up will be the big question.