‘Hope he suffers’: Camper’s widow hopes Greg Lynn gets decades behind bars

The widow of missing camper Russell Hill said she hopes killer Greg Lynn ‘suffers for the rest of his life’ after he was found not guilty of murdering her husband.

The widow of missing camper Russell Hill revealed she hopes convicted killer Greg Lynn “suffers for the rest of his life” after he was found not guilty of murdering her husband.

Gregory Stuart Lynn, 57, was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering Carol Clay, 73, but not guilty of murdering Mr Hill, 74, in Victoria’ remote high country in 2020.

Mrs Hill said she was relieved when the jury returned a guilty verdict over the murder of her husband’s lover because she was concerned Lynn would be cleared of both deaths.

Mr Hill and Mrs Clay were on a camping trip when they vanished without a trace only a day after arriving at Bucks Camp in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 19, 2020.

Robyn Hill said she hopes Greg Lynn ‘suffers for the rest of his life’. Picture: NewsWire / David Crosling

Lynn claimed their deaths were accidental, but he admitted he had burned their bodies and the crime scene.

Mrs Hill watched as the former Jetstar pilot heard the jury’s verdict and told Nine News she thinks he “got off lightly”.

“I hope he suffers for the rest of his life, really,” she said.

“I hope he has a lovely time in jail.“

Mr Hill’s widow said she hoped Lynn would receive a sentence of 25 years which she would “look at as half each for Russell and Carol”.

The jury deliberated for more than a week before returning the split verdict, and Mrs Hill said the week was fraught with worrying Lynn might walk free.

Following the verdict, the families of Mr Hill and Ms Clay have issued a statement saying they were both “relieved and devastated at the verdicts”.

“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,” it read.

Lovers Carol Clay and Russell Hill vanished without a trace in March 2020.

The statement said the verdict of not guilty in relation to Mr Hill was “devastating” but acknowledged there was “not enough evidence to be sure of how he died”.

“Our families were always aware that the prosecutor had an enormous burden of proof as there were no eyewitnesses,” the statement read.

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

The families of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay thanked prosecutors, Victoria Police, and the Missing Persons Squad for their tireless efforts.

“We are heartbroken at the loss of our loved ones,” they concluded in their emotional statement.

“It will take time to absorb the verdicts, put this behind us and set about healing and getting on with our lives.”

Lynn will return to court next month to be sentenced for murdering Mrs Clay.

After his arrest in November 2021, he told police Mrs Clay had been accidentally killed when his shotgun discharged while he and Mr Hill were wrestling with the weapon.

The former pilot said Mr Hill had made a “ridiculous” accusation that he was hunting too close to the camp ground, and threatened to tell police that Lynn had shot through camp.

Greg Lynn faced a five week trial over the deaths. Picture: David Geraghty / NewsWire

He claimed Mr Hill stole his shotgun between 9pm and 10pm and the pair tussled, leading to the accidental discharge.

After Mrs Clay had been shot, Lynn said Mr Hill came at him with a knife screaming “she’s dead” before he fell on the blade as the two men fought a second time.

The jury heard Lynn took steps to hide he was involved, including cleaning and burning the campsite and dumping the couple’s bodies off the Union Spur track after driving throughout the night.

He then went home and attempted to move on with his life.

“Trying to cover it up might offer a glimmer of hope to have a normal life,” he said of his decision,” the hunter told the jury.

But Mrs Hill hopes much of his life will be spent behind bars instead.

Originally published as ‘Hope he suffers’: Camper’s widow hopes Greg Lynn gets decades behind bars