Former Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn has been found guilty of the murder of Carol Clay, but not guilty of the murder of Russell Hill.
The mixed verdict was handed down in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday afternoon.
The jury has been deliberating on murder charges against Lynn since June 14.
Greg Lynn has been found guilty of the murder of Carol Clay
Jury found Lynn murdered Carol Clay, not Russell Hill
The verdict came a day after the jury returned to court to ask Judge Michael Croucher whether the two verdicts should be the same.
The jury had heard that the prosecution could offer no motive or evidence as to how they alleged Lynn had murdered Mr Hill.
The former Jetstar pilot had pleaded not guilty to the murders of Hill, 74, and Clay, 73, in the Wonnanangatta Valley in Victoria’s alpine region on March 20, 2020.
Sobs were heard throughout the courtroom as the verdicts were pronounced.
The 12-person jury unanimously found that Lynn murdered Ms. Clay in cold blood before attempting to cover her tracks by burning and destroying evidence.
The verdict brings to an end one of Australia’s most intriguing murder mysteries in recent memory.
The disgraced pilot had counted on convincing the jury that both campers had died as a result of a tragic accident.
He was aided in his task by a series of police errors, which saw Lynn’s entire epic interview record spanning more than four days thrown out before trial.
It joined the scrap heap with a slew of other evidence deemed inadmissible, including a search of Lynn’s home that turned up a cache of guns and knives.
Greg Lynn and his wife Melanie, who attended court every day of his trial.
Lynn had taken the witness stand to tell the jury in her own words how the campers died.
While Lynn always denied murdering the couple, the jury heard he freely admitted to cleaning up the alleged crime scene and destroying evidence.
“It was despicable,” Lynn admitted.
‘All I can say to the families is that I am very sorry for all the suffering I have caused them… yes, I should be punished for it. For what I did.’
The jury heard that Lynn had offered to plead guilty to destruction of evidence before going to trial, but the prosecution had rejected her.
“I am innocent of murder,” he said. ‘I am innocent (also of homicide). I haven’t killed anyone.
Dressed neatly in a suit and dark-rimmed glasses, the former pilot spoke coolly and calmly as he explained to the jury the gory details of what police alleged was a cold-blooded murder.
The jury heard Lynn claim the couple died after Hill stole his shotgun and the pair became involved in a deadly struggle for control.
“I don’t know if he intended to shoot me or not, probably not,” Lynn told the jury. “I think he was just trying to keep the shotgun and scare me.”
The jury heard that Lynn was sitting near his campfire by the river when he saw Mr Hill pick up his shotgun and load the magazine.
The doors of Lynn’s Nissan Patrol had been left wide open to “release all the music” from her car stereo, which, in the driver’s own words, was done in a “childish effort” to annoy Mr. Hill after a previous confrontation with him.
Lynn created a sketch of the scene to help jurors discover how he claimed Hill gained access to his Nissan Patrol to steal his shotgun.
The image showed a depiction of Lynn’s 4×4 with all the doors open, allowing Mr Hill to take Lynn’s shotgun from the rear and the ammunition magazine from the front.
Lynn claimed that Mr. Hill accidentally shot Ms. Clay in the head while trying to take the shotgun from her.
Pressed on the bar of Mr Hill’s Landcruiser, Lynn claimed Mr Hill pulled the trigger, exploding the side mirror and hitting Mrs Clay directly in the head.
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