Greg Lynn takes the stand in major missing campers courtroom twist

Greg Lynn admitted he lied to his family about his involvement in the missing campers case after they said it was "comical" how similar the car pictured in media reports was to his.

Accused high country killer Greg Lynn has given evidence under oath as he entered the witness box  in his double murder trial.

The former Jetstar pilot, 57, is standing trial for the murders of Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who vanished during a camping trip to the Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020.

He has pleaded not guilty, claiming their deaths were accidental.

Today, the jury heard him speak in person for the first time as he took the stand in his own defence.

Recap all the key moments below.

Updates

2:59 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

'Everyone will have a view': Jury warned as defence case rests

Mr Porceddu has completed his questions for Mr Lynn.
The defence case has rested, with no further witnesses to be called.
In total, 49 witnesses have given evidence to the jury.

Greg Lynn takes the stand in his own defence. Artist: Paul Tyquin

Justice Croucher said he had questions of law to deal with, and that the jury could be excused on Friday for a longer long weekend for the King's Birthday.
His Honour has warned the jury not to speak to anyone about the case over their long weekend.
"Everyone will have a view, anyone you meet will have a view, but we don't care about their views," His Honour said, noting the only view that matters is that of the jury.
The jury has been excused.
They are expected to return on Tuesday morning for the final address from the prosecution and the defence, which is expected to run for a day or a day and a half.
Following that, the judge will give his charge, which could go for another day.
The jury has been told they're likely to go out and consider their verdict from Friday.

2:53 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

'Didn't think he'd be bold enough to take the shotgun': Lynn

Mr Porceddu asked how Mr Hill could have seen Mr Lynn's gun and magazine in his car if the car lights weren't on.
"The light from the gas lantern would have been enough," he said.
The prosecutor asked if the only thing Mr Lynn was doing to annoy Mr Hill was playing the music loud.
"Your evidence was he didn't say anything about loud music," Mr Porceddu said.
Mr Lynn said he'd played the loud music from his car stereo from sunset to about 9 or 10pm, for about 90 minutes.
He said Mr Hill didn't say anything to him about loud music, but that in terms of keeping his guns locked up safely, the former pilot had "failed in that requirement".
"I didn't think he'd be bold enough to take the shotgun," Mr Lynn said of Mr Hill.

2:48 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

Lynn admits lying to wife about campers case

Mr Lynn said he lied to his wife telling her "I had nothing to do with it, knew nothing".
"Everytime a comment was made, 'Gee that looks like your car'," he said of when he lied to his wife, Melanie.
Mr Lynn said he didn't want to watch the 60 Minutes episode in November 2021 that aired an image of his vehicle going through a camera, and said he'd remained informed about the case by reading newspaper coverage.
"Why not be honest with her about what happened?" Mr Porceddu asked.
"The last thing I wanted to do was tell other people about it; No I never mentioned anything to anyone," he replied.
"I still haven't talked to them (his family) about it, they've seen the interview but I haven't talked to them about it."

Melanie Lynn arriving at the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Mr Lynn said if he told his wife: "It would be involving her in a problem that was nothing to do with her".
"When required, you're prepared to be deceptive?" Mr Porceddu asked.
"I lied to my wife to protect her," he said.
"You didn't you lie to your wife to protect yourself?" the prosecutor asked, and the answer was no.

2:41 pm June 6, 2024

Lynn painted trailer used to move campers' bodies

Mr Lynn revealed that he painted his trailer, seen in a camera shot linking him to the couple, before he put it up for sale 10 days after their deaths.
He put the trailer on Gumtree for sale on April 1, 2020, listing it was black, but it was actually blue.
"I painted my trailer because I wanted to get a (good) price for it and to change its appearance".
Mr Lynn earlier confirmed he also painted his car to disguise its original colour from dark grey to beige.

Mr Lynn also painted his 4WD to disguise its original colour from dark grey to beige.

2:40 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

Burning bodies a 'difficult task': Lynn

Mr Porceddu asked if before leaving Bucks Camp, part of Mr Lynn's plan was "to obliterate their bodies to disguise your involvement in the deaths of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay".
"That's entirely untrue," Mr Lynn replied.
He said he "expected them to be found".
Asked then why he put leaves and sticks over their bodies, he said that was "to keep the animals away".
Mr Lynn agreed he dumped their bodies over a time frame of about 15 minutes while "the sun was well up" at about 8.30am.
When he returned in May 2020 to "check the bodies" he said he was there for about 30 minutes.
"They were decomposing … I didn't look very closely but they hadn't moved, no animals had been at them, the sticks were still on top, they were decomposing."
In November 2020, he said he returned again to the site of the bodies just before sunset and waited until it was dark to set a fire.
He said he didn't move the bodies before he burned them.
"Actually removed some of the wood because there was lots of sticks on top to keep the animals off," he said.
He agreed he had to add more fuel to the fire during the night, "over a number of hours right through the night".
"You needed to make sure the bones were fragmented?"
"Almost everything was gone, it was just mostly ash left."
Mr Porceddu asked if Mr Lynn burnt the bodies to disguise how Mr Hill and Mrs Clay died.
"Not how they died … the reason for destroying the evidence was to remove that evidence from my route out of Wonnangatta which was now known."
He agreed that despite being sick he "remained there until the job was done".
Calling it a "difficult task" he thought once it was over "I would finally be free of this disaster".

2:25 pm June 6, 2024

Cross-examination resumes

The jury has been brought back into the courtroom.
The cross-examination of Mr Lynn by Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu is about to resume.

1:05 pm June 6, 2024

Court breaks for lunch

The jury has been given a break for lunch, with Mr Lynn's cross-examination expected to continue from 2.15pm.

1:04 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

'Key to your defence': Lynn quizzed over destroying evidence

Quizzed about a rope strung between the toilet and the bull bar of Mr Hill's car, where Mr Lynn said the pair struggled with the gun before it discharged and killed Mrs Clay, Mr Porceddu said "you would have been entangled in that".
"It never got in the way," Mr Lynn replied.
The ex-pilot suggested Mr Hill may have lifted the rope, but that "the guy rope never got in the way of the struggle".
"You're just making this up," Mr Porceddu responded, which Mr Lynn denied.

The guy rope strung between the toilet and Mr Hill's car.

The prosecutor asked why Mr Lynn would clean the gun that shot Mrs Clay, "as that would have been the key to your defence" in the case.
"I never expected to be in this courthouse," Mr Lynn replied.
"What could I do with the shotgun? Hide it in a glass cabinet somewhere so no-one ever touches it?" Mr Lynn asked.
"If your version was correct, why not pop the gun in the corner and leave it there?" Mr Porceddu said.
"I wanted to erase all evidence of ever having anything to do with Russell Hill."

12:57 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

Lynn never thought to 'just drive away' before fight

The prosecutor said it was one year and eight months between the couple's deaths and Mr Lynn being arrested.
"During this time you had plenty of time to work out what you would tell police?" Mr Porceddu said.
"To be honest my plan was to disappear and for a long time I thought I had," Mr Lynn said.
The accused killer said he would have gone and seen a lawyer, but it was "too late to go and talk to the police".
Mr Porceddu said when Mr Lynn claimed Mr Hill took his gun, he could have got in his car and driven away.
"Yes, I didn't think of that."
"The first time I thought about that is as you're presenting it to me right now, that's four years later."
The court earlier heard that Mr Hill's wife Robyn said her husband moved slowly, but Mr Lynn said the 74-year-old "was striding purposefully across the grass".
Mr Porceddu said Mr Lynn was 20 years younger than the older man.
"I was carrying a lot more weight … a lot more fat than I am now," Mr Lynn said, stating he had a heart condition diagnosed in 2021.
"I was not well," Mr Lynn said.

12:48 pm June 6, 2024 Highlight

'I'm very stressed right now': Lynn was trained to remain calm in crises

Mr Porceddu said Mr Lynn "went into crisis mode immediately after the deaths" and asked: "Isn't that something you're trained to deal with as a pilot?"
"Yes," Mr Lynn said, agreeing he is trained to make quick decisions and think rationally and methodically in stressful situations.
But the prosecutor said: "What you wanted the jury to believe is that immediately after the killings is that you unexpectedly panicked, is that right?"
"Yes, I was panicked," he said.
"Aren't you trained to be calm and rational?" Mr Porceddu asked.
"I'm very stressed right now," Mr Lynn said from the witness box.
"I had never been faced with two dead people before."
Mr Porceddu said even though Mr Lynn was panicked, he burnt the site, searched for the pair's phones and drone, packed up his camp, removed the knife from Mr Hill's chest and loaded their bodies into his trailer.
"These are the signs of a calm person yes or no," Mr Porceddu asked.
"No, I was a panicked person, I've been trained to remain calm … I can manage stress."
Asked why he didn't leave the scene as it was, which he agreed would have benefitted him by confirming his story, and tell police, Mr Lynn said: "I feared that I would be blamed for it".
"Improper storage of the firearm, which had resulted in the death of one person, would be devastating for me."