Greg Lynn and the mystery of the double fatality at Zig Zag Road

In the close-knit community of Mount Macedon, they still talk about the mystery of the violent and puzzling death of pilot-turned-killer Greg Lynn’s neighbours in the street where he once lived.

Less than a kilometre from Lynn’s former home, two neighbours and their three dogs were found shot dead in their burnt-out house.

That happened 10 years before campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill died in the remote Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria’s east. Lynn was last month convicted by a Supreme Court jury of the 2020 murder of Clay but acquitted over the death of her lover, Hill. Lynn claimed the campers had died accidentally and he burnt the crime scene to destroy evidence.

Mount Macedon locals and those who knew the Lynns, but wish to remain anonymous following his conviction, have questions about another case, which the coroner concluded was a murder-suicide.

In that 2010 case, which happened years after Lynn had sold his nearby property, Annie Viergever, 61, the stepsister of Seekers performer Athol Guy, and her husband, Japp, 64, were found dead in the bedroom of their Zig Zag Road home.

She had been shot in the head in her nightdress while in her bed. He was found with a fatal gunshot wound under fire debris, sitting on a chaise longue in the bedroom.

Police officers at the scene of the fatal house fire in Zig Zag Road, Mount Macedon in March 2010.Credit: Jason South

His left hand was around the barrel, with police reporting to the coroner: “The injuries to his head and face were consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot injury.”

Within days of Lynn’s November 2021 arrest over the campers’ deaths, a former law enforcement officer familiar with the Zig Zag Road murder-suicide contacted Hill/Clay investigators asking them to reopen the Viergever case. Detectives from the campers case who have conducted a deep dive into Lynn’s past are aware of the Zig Zag Road deaths. The results of these inquiries are unknown.

This masthead is not suggesting there is sufficient evidence to make Lynn a suspect in the fatalities, only that the case remains a mystery to people who knew them.

Thirteen sources who either know or have investigated Lynn have spoken to this masthead. They have pointed to coincidental geographic and physical circumstances between the fatal fire, the campers’ deaths and the death of Greg Lynn’s first wife, Lisa Lynn. The sources include police, colleagues of the former pilot and friends of Lisa, some of whom have been re-interviewed by police looking at her death.

Greg and Lisa Lynn.Credit: Jason South

Lisa, 34, was found dead in the front garden of the couple’s Zig Zag Road home on October 26, 1999, from a cocktail of prescription medication and alcohol. The coronial inquest concluded “police investigations failed to reveal any suspicious circumstances or the involvement of any other person in the death of Lisa Lynn”.

Her friends and family do not believe Lisa, who rarely drank alcohol, took her own life.

The coroner delivered an open finding into her death and will be asked to hold a second inquest after receiving new information. Police have re-interviewed multiple people over Lisa’s death, telling one witness they were also looking at other cases that may involve Greg Lynn.

On March 29, 2010, at 11.35pm, a passenger in a car saw the Viergever property on fire on Zig Zag Road. When the Country Fire Authority arrived, the front door was locked – they gained access from an “open door on the eastern side of the house”. Part of the roof had already collapsed.

CFA officers found the couple’s three pet dogs shot dead in the laundry and the scene hopelessly compromised by the fire.

Coroner Paresa Spanos heard that on that day, the couple had carried out their usual routine. Japp Viergever had gone to a local cafe in the morning, visited his naturopath and attended a water aerobics class.

Annie Viergever had a morning swim and an appointment with the naturopath.

That night, a friend rang to speak with her. They could hear her husband preparing dinner. It was 7.45pm.

The Viergevers were well known in the area and their sprawling house had become a social hub for friends and neighbours.

“Lisa was friends with them,” one of her friends said. “[The Viergevers] would help Lisa around the house. Greg is someone who never ever forgets.” Another said: “He could hold a grudge for 100 years.”

Coroner Spanos found: “The house was designed for entertaining and the Viergevers entertained regularly and were generous hosts.”

Spanos concluded: “I find that Mr Viergever shot their three dogs and started the house fire, although not necessarily in that order, some time before causing Mrs Viergever’s death by gunshot injury to the head. I find that he then intentionally took his own life by self-inflicted gunshot injury to the head.”

The investigation was conducted by a local detective with the assistance of an arson chemist. It was not led by the homicide squad, which looks at suspicious deaths.

Police forensics and arson and explosives squad members sift through the remains of the house fire in Zig Zag Road in 2010.Credit: Jason South

Investigating police did not establish why, if Japp Viergever had planned to kill his wife and then himself, he would have bothered to see his naturopath for a health check on the same day. Or why he would choose to kill the three dogs rather than let them out of the house.

Immediately after the discovery of the bodies in the burnt-out house, a senior police officer told the media: “Obviously, there are a number of options we have to look at. At this stage, there’s no indication that there were other parties involved but we have to keep an open mind.

“Regardless of whether it’s a murder-suicide or an accident, it’s a tragedy; two people have lost their lives.”

Athol Guy made a statement at the time: “We have lost two family members and two beautiful people … We have no clear idea yet what has happened.” Guy told friends he had been to the house recently and the couple were in good spirits.

An insurance assessor who went to the scene said: “It didn’t make any sense to me at the time. Why did the fire start at the other end of the house?”

Police reported the couple might have been under financial pressure and Annie had minor health problems.

The deadly weapon was an unlicensed .22 Squibman Model 11A bolt action repeating rifle. Japp was not a licensed firearm holder, was not a hunter and no one who knew him had ever seen him with a rifle.

Arson experts concluded the fire had been started by pouring flammable liquid on the floor of an office inside the house.

Russell Hill and Carol Clay died in the remote Wonnangatta Valley in 2020. Pictured are Hill’s Toyota LandCruiser and the burnt-out site at Bucks Camp.Credit: Victoria Police

In her report, the coroner found there had been no signs of conflict between the couple.

“They had no children but treated their three Hungarian Vizsla dogs like children, caring for them assiduously and allowing them the run of the house,” Spanos wrote.

Vizslas are called “Velcro dogs” because they love to stick with their owners. Not naturally aggressive, they may bark excessively if they sense danger.

The police did not find a suicide note nor anyone who saw any change in the couple’s usual calm behaviour before the fire and their deaths.

Autopsies showed both died from single gun shot wounds to the head and both were still breathing after the fire was started. Two of the dogs had died from shots to the head and the third had been shot twice, possibly before the fire started.

A friend of Lisa Lynn told this masthead: “I remember Lisa telling me Greg argued and was frustrated by the neighbours in Zig Zag Road. She was alarmed at his hatred for them. Lisa was embarrassed by his outbursts. Lisa loved everyone.”

This masthead does not know with which neighbours Lynn had clashed.

Friends of Lisa say that after he argued with neighbours about their dogs, one was found strung up on a fence. “He had a hatred of barking dogs. He had a real thing about noise,” one said.

Another said Lisa had told her that when the Lynns lived in Evandale near Launceston Airport, Greg had had a dispute with a neighbour and shot their dog.

The Lynn house in Zig Zag Road was last sold in 2001. Greg Lynn left the area to work in Qatar after the 2002 collapse of Ansett Airlines. He returned to Australia to work for Jetstar in 2007.

Another friend said Lisa had played a message from Greg Lynn recorded on the answering machine. “He threatened to kill her [Lisa] and there was a woman in the background laughing. He was deadly calm.”

Friends said the answering machine tape and Lisa’s detailed diary were missing.

Coroner Graeme Johnstone found that Lisa had been in an abusive relationship with Greg Lynn, but concluded: “As no suicide note or other definitive indications of the deceased’s intentions were found, it is unclear whether she intended to take her own life.”

Police investigations failed to reveal any suspicious circumstances or the involvement of any other person in the death of Lisa.

The jury in the Clay-Hill murder trial was told that after the campers’ deaths, Lynn had changed the colour of his 1997 Nissan Patrol from blue-grey to tan. It was the second time the car had been painted – it was originally white.

It was painted blue in 2016 after Lynn returned from a long trip to central and northern Australia. Police remain interested in why the car was repainted a different colour.

Inquiries in Victoria and interstate continue.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In the event of an emergency, dial triple zero (000). Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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