A former police officer and private investigator has said there is still “a long way to go” following the outcome of the murder trial over the deaths of Carol Clay and Russell Hill.
Former Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn was found guilty on Tuesday of the murder of Clay, 73, but not guilty of the murder of Hill, 74, in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
The 57-year-old man had pleaded not guilty to the murder of two campers in the Wonnangatta Valley in Victoria’s alpine region on March 20, 2020.
The jury has been deliberating on murder charges against Lynn since June 14.
Speaking after the verdict on Tuesday afternoon, Duncan McNab, a former police detective, said the case was not over yet and the prospect of an appeal “is very real”.
“What I think about in these cases is the poor bloody family, the investigators and those around them – this is by no means over,” he told Seven News.
But this whole case has been very strange from the beginning, with so many different components, all fucking unusual.
Former Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn (pictured) was found guilty of the murder of Carol Clay, 73, but not guilty of the murder of Russell Hill, 74, in the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday.
“This is not over yet, there is still a long way to go.”
Former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina added that there was an exception to the double jeopardy rule that could come into play.
Double criminality means that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime; however, an exception may be made if new and compelling evidence appears.
“If any new or compelling evidence emerges in the future, it is unlikely, but if it does, you can certainly face being charged again for the alleged murder of Mr. Hill,” Mr. Bezzina said.
“Let’s see what progresses from this day.”
Lynn claimed the two deaths were accidental, but admitted that he burned the crime scene and destroyed their bodies.
Forty-nine witnesses were called during the trial, including national park rangers, brush sprayers, campers, deer hunters, police forensics and ballistics experts and the families of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay.
Lynn had pleaded not guilty to the murders of the two campers in the Wonnanangatta Valley in Victoria’s alpine region on March 20, 2020 (Carol Clay is pictured on the left and Russell Hill is pictured on the left). right).
Mr Hill was married and the couple were having a secret affair when they disappeared.
Lynn, Mr. Hill, and Mrs. Clay were the only people staying at Bucks Camp that night, March 20, 2020.
Lynn said he had been deer hunting when he returned to Mr. Hill’s threats that he had drone footage of Lynn hunting too close to the camp to report to the police.
Later that night, he said Mr. Hill took a shotgun and ammunition from Lynn’s car.
Lynn claimed he went to take the gun from Mr. Hill, who fired a few warning shots before pointing it at Lynn.
Lynn and Mr. Hill struggled over the gun, Lynn claimed, when another shot was fired and hit the side of Mr. Hill’s mirror, which ricocheted and entered Mrs. Clay’s head.
Gunshot fragments were later found, proving that Ms. Clay was killed in a shootout.
Hill then attacked Lynn with a knife, the pilot claimed, and a second struggle ensued.
Lynn said he was trying to defend himself when the knife plunged into Mr Hill’s chest and no evidence was shown to the jury about how Mr Hill died.
Lynn admitted to burning the couple’s campsite, putting their bodies in a trailer, and driving to Union Spur Track where he unloaded their bodies and covered them with sticks.
He returned twice, including in November 2020, when he set fire to the remains of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay.
He was arrested a year later, where he told his story to police and led investigators to the couple’s bodies, which were discovered to be divided into 2,100 bone fragments.
Speaking after the verdict on Tuesday afternoon, Duncan McNab, a former police detective, said the case was not over yet and the prospect of an appeal “is very real”.
Lynn maintained he was innocent of murder and admitted to the jury that his actions to cover up the crime, including repainting his 4×4 used to dispose of the bodies, were “despicable”.
He had offered to plead guilty to charges of destruction of evidence before the trial began, his defense team said.
But prosecutors said Lynn’s story was a work of fiction and his conduct after the murders proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to murder the couple.
Lynn, dressed in a suit and blue sweater, remained silent as the two verdicts were read aloud, raising his eyebrows after learning his fate.
He greeted his son Geordie, who was sitting opposite him inside the courtroom, after the jury left the court.
He spoke to his lawyers before being escorted out of court flanked by custody officers and will be sentenced at a later date.
The maximum penalty for murder is life imprisonment.
Lynn will return to court on July 19 to discuss where dates will be set.
