Current Trial Russell Hill & Carol Clay - Wonnangatta *Pilot Greg Lynn Pleads Not Guilty to Murder

[Kurve]

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On the Greg Lynn committal proceedings Crown Prosecutor Mr Dickie said 'It is clear hopefully from the document, and if it's not clear from the document it's clear hopefully from the charges put before the court, that it is alleged of course that the accused acted with murderous intent when he allegedly killed the two victims.'

 

[10571z]

Hearing Greg Lynn’s story via the podcast it’s somewhat believable. I honestly think he could get off murder.

 

[Kurve]

Accused took cash from Russell Hill’s wallet​

30m ago
By Tim Callanan
Reporting by Jesse Thompson.
The court has heard Greg Lynn's account of taking $30 to $40 in cash from Mr Hill's wallet before driving out of the remote campsite where Mr Hill and Carol Clay died.
"The whole plan, ill-conceived as it was, was for me to disappear," the former Jetstar pilot said.
"My plan was to leave on one track and deposit the bodies where they would be found, but later on I would be able to say that I travelled by a different track if I was ever asked."
The accused murderer said the journey out of the region was "a long drive" no matter the route, and he "didn't want to be refuelling using a credit card that would pinpoint me at a certain place".
"I had some cash myself, but I don't carry a lot," he said.
"So I took it."

Greg Lynn questioned about metal fragment​

25m ago
By Tim Callanan
Reporting by Kristian Silva.
Earlier during his evidence, Mr Lynn was asked about shotgun remnants found at the Bucks Camp scene by police almost two years after the deaths.
The fragment was later found to have Carol Clay's DNA on it.
A metal fragment recovered from Bucks Camp in March 2022(Supplied: Supreme Court of Victoria)
In the aftermath of the deadly struggle, Mr Lynn said he cleaned up the campsite.
He seemed surprised to hear police had located the fragment.
"It wasn't there. It must have been moved there," he said.
Mr Lynn said he'd seen a photo of the fragment and said its position on the top of the soil was "just unnatural"

Family thought vehicle similarities 'quite comical'​

19m ago
By Tim Callanan
The next part of Mr Lynn's evidence turned to an episode of 60 Minutes broadcast in November 2021.
The episode, which focused on the police investigation into the disappearance of Russell Hill and Carol Clay, featured a photo of Greg Lynn's vehicle captured on roadside cameras he drove out of the high country.
Mr Lynn's vehicle was captured on CCTV as he drove out of the area.(Supplied: Supreme Court of Victoria)
He said his family found the likeness to his vehicle "quite comical".
"The car in the images did look a lot like my car. It was my car," he said.
The former Jetstar pilot explained that he later removed the vehicle's awning to "make it look less like my car".

Accused murderer didn't know Russell Hill's phone was on​

3m ago
By Tim Callanan
Reporting by Jesse Thompson.
Greg Lynn has told the court he believed both Carol Clay and Russell Hill's phones were off when he moved their bodies and some of their belongings after their deaths.
"I was unaware that Russell Hill's phone was on," he told the court.
Telecommunications data from Mr Hill's phone would become a part of the missing persons investigation, eventually leading police to connect the disappearances to Mr Lynn's vehicle.
Police later searched an area near the last data connection to be made from Mr Hill's phone.
Mr Lynn told the court he didn't dispose of the devices at this location, but "somewhere in the Rose River".

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Wasn’t Russell hill a bit of a ****wit? Drove like a lunatic. Was aggro and had a firearm? Is it possible to suggest he instigated this whole thing by being an angry nut whereby an accident happened?

Can’t help but feeling G Lynn might get off here if enough doubt is created.

That would be a terrible basis for a not guilty verdict - basically that Hill was such an awful person that he brought it on himself. Surely the jury won't see it that way.

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

There's plenty of evidence to suggest he started a confrontation. Dislike of hunters, it's my campsite etc. But evidence of that only. Nobody should end up dead just because they're a miserable old whinging git.

I doubt we will ever see a case like this again. Two unrelated parties both without any criminal record getting into a fight ending in multiple deaths right in the middle of vast open Wonnangatta valley.

If this was written as a fictional story most of us would never believe it could actually happen.

We only have GL's word that there was any sort of fight.

 

[LeChatNoir]

Hearing Greg Lynn’s story via the podcast it’s somewhat believable. I honestly think he could get off murder.

Are you referring to the Missing Campers podcast?

 

[Zidane98]

We only have GL's word that there was any sort of fight.

How else do you suppose there was an interaction between two parties unknown to each other in the middle of Wonnangatta?

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Live trial updates

Greg Lynn finishes giving evidence after hours-long testimony in missing campers murder trial — as it happened

Greg Lynn has given his testimony in his murder trial in Victoria's Supreme Court. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria's High Country in 2020.

www.abc.net.au

Too much detail - "the gun pointed slightly down". In an emergency situation you don't remember fine details. He has reconstructed the scene to his own advantage, with no one to contradict him.

Belatedly he's sorry.

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Provocation used as a defence for murder has been removed from Victorian Statutes.

A reasonable person walks way.

A reasonable person does not kill one party and be instrumental in tke death of another

An experienced pilot takes charge of the situation calmly, diplomatically, talks reason to the other person if they are being heated. You don't goad them by playing loud music when they're trying to sleep. When you're camping you have consideration for others. If it's unbearable you move away. We don't even know for sure what provoked a confrontation, if there was one.

 

[theouthouse]

In that case the mirror being involved doesn't make sense.

No physical evidence that it was, no broken glass shards around the car, nothing.

 

[MiguelM]

Does the Jury have options in this case for 1 count manslaugher and 1 count murder?

 

[Zidane98]

No physical evidence that it was, no broken glass shards around the car, nothing.

None apart from most of the mirror assembly missing.

 

[Kurve]

Greg Lynn 'very sorry' to families for conduct​

24m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
The initial questioning from Mr Lynn's lawyer concluded with the former Jetstar pilot saying he is "very sorry" to the families of Carol Clay and Russell Hill for his conduct.
His lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, asked if Mr Lynn had offered to plead guilty to the offence of destruction of evidence "well before this trial".
Mr Lynn confirmed this.
“Yes, I should be punished for it," he said.
He was then asked if he maintained his innocence of both murder and manslaughter. Mr Lynn confirmed this.
"I haven't killed anyone," he said.

Cross-examination begins​

19m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Prosecution lawyer Daniel Porceddu is on his feet for cross-examination.
He firstly took Greg Lynn to a part of his November 2021 police interview where he told investigators that his account would tick "every box".
Mr Porceddu said his account ticked every box because Mr Lynn had destroyed evidence.
"Do you agree or disagree?" he asked.
"I did destroy the evidence," he replied.

Prosecution puts its account to accused murderer​

6m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Daniel Porceddu is putting to Greg Lynn the prosecution's account of how the couple was killed after a dispute involving a drone.

Mr Porceddu: I put it to you that as a result, you murdered Mr Hill. What do you say?
Mr Lynn: That's not true.

Mr Porceddu then accused Mr Hill of aiming a weapon at Mrs Clay.

Mr Porceddu: And one of those blasts hit Mrs Clay in the head. What do you say?
Mr Lynn: That's untrue.

Mr Lynn's lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, later objected, arguing some of the questions had no evidentiary basis.

 

[Kurve]

Mr Lynn's lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, later objected, arguing some of the questions had no evidentiary basis.

Failing to mention it was because his client destroyed it all.

 

[theouthouse]

None apart from most of the mirror assembly missing.

GL admitted on the stand he took it off and threw it in the fire.

His reasoning being because it had a bullet hole through it.

In my mind there is no way in hell every speck of glass was going to be meticulously cleaned up. Even from under the car. It would not degrade like DNA when exposed to the elements. The fact that none was found near the car mirror area can not be explained away by meticulous cleaning or the passage of time.

I'm also of the opinion the prosecution are going to have fun picking GL story apart.

 

[Terrafirma]

Does the Jury have options in this case for 1 count manslaugher and 1 count murder?

They dont need options for 1 murder charge and manslaughter could be a downgrade to the othee murder as I know it IMO

 

[jason_recliner]

"Improper storage of a firearm... resulted in the death of one person"

GOT HIM!!!

 

[Kurve]

Greg Lynn questioned about cover-up​

8m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Prosecution lawyers are zeroing in on Mr Lynn's decision to cover up the campers' deaths by moving their bodies and setting fire to their campsite.
"At this stage, you could have reported this matter to police, couldn't you?" Daniel Porceddu asked.
Mr Lynn said he could have.
"You know that by preserving the scene, police would have been able to verify your version of events, don't you?" Mr Porceddu asked.
"I could have followed that pathway," Mr Lynn said.
"And they would have determined on your version … that this was just two accidental deaths. That's right, isn't it?" Mr Porceddu asked.
Mr Lynn replied that he feared he would be blamed for the deaths given the "improper storage of a firearm" had "resulted in the death of one person".

 

[LeChatNoir]

Too much detail - "the gun pointed slightly down". In an emergency situation you don't remember fine details. He has reconstructed the scene to his own advantage, with no one to contradict him.

Belatedly he's sorry.

In the pod cast, Missing Campers, the gun was "pushed upwards"

Transcript of podcast:

In this pod cast we’re using actors and AI to voice part of what’s heard in court. This is some of what Gregory Lynn told detectives happened at the campsite on the night of the 20th March 2020. It’s not his voice.
I come around here and I confront him, “give it back”, you know, “what are you doing?”
And he said he was going to take that to the police with him.
And then when I advance towards him he had the magazine in the shotgun at this stage.
He pulled the action back and he let a couple of rounds go into the air.
I immediately ran around the back here, fearing that you know, that I might be able, might be going to cop the next one and I waited.
It was in shadow around here and it was dark.
I didn’t want to run back towards my car ‘cause if he was going to, you know, shoot me then he would’ve had a clear shot.
I then hear Mr Hill coming around this side of the car and so I kept under the shadow and I moved in closer, again fearing that if I ran this way, I’d cop another one.
I saw the barrel of the shotgun appear over the bonnet.
And to try and disarm him I jumped up.
I grabbed the shotgun barrel with my right arm.
Pivoted around so I was facing him.
Him facing away from the bonnet of the car.
I had the left hand on the stock.
Right hand on the barrel.
And we wrestled.
The shotgun was pointed over this way, and it was discharged.
My hand was not on the trigger it was on the barrel, right hand, left hand on the stock pushing up against him.
He wouldn’t let it go.
It discharged.
It went through the left hand rear view and killed Ms Clay dead.
She was shot through the head.

So, if I have this correctly, Hill has his finger on the trigger and Lynn has his hands on the stock and barrel. So Hill pulls the trigger, but Lynn controls the direction the gun is pointing when the shot goes off.

PS: Not that I believe anything that comes out of this man's mouth.

 

[Zidane98]

"Improper storage of a firearm... resulted in the death of one person"

GOT HIM!!!

That's manslaughter.

 

[Zidane98]

GL has to go down for manslaughter at the very least. And whatever penalty can be imposed for destruction of evidence.

 

[jason_recliner]

That's manslaughter.

Yep. And I think he'll be sentenced at the upper end of the scale. Add in the other charges and he'll be an even older man before he's released. His good life's over.

Destruction of evidence, tampering with a corpse x 2, hindering an investigation, firearms offences... surely they can come up with some more? Or have they decided only to go for murder/manslaughter?

 

[Kurve]

Questioning turns to gun cleaning​

2m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Greg Lynn was next asked about his decision to clean the firearm at the centre of the struggle with Russell Hill.

Daniel Porceddu: "On your version, Mr Hill's fingerprints would've also been on the magazine?"
Mr Lynn: "Yes."
Mr Porceddu: "Yet on your version, you say you clean the firearm when you get home. This would've been key to your defence wouldn't it?"
Mr Lynn: "I never expected to be in this courthouse."

 

[MiguelM]

Yep. And I think he'll be sentenced at the upper end of the scale. Add in the other charges and he'll be an even older man before he's released. His good life's over.

Destruction of evidence, tampering with a corpse x 2, hindering an investigation, firearms offences... surely they can come up with some more? Or have they decided only to go for murder/manslaughter?

The cover up could easily get him on at least 1 count of murder IMO. Plenty of legal precedents with overwhelming circumstantial evidence that gets a conviction.

 

[Underarrest_]

Questioning turns to gun cleaning​

2m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Greg Lynn was next asked about his decision to clean the firearm at the centre of the struggle with Russell Hill.

“I never expected to be in this courthouse,”
Confident would never be caught.

 

[MiguelM]

Questioning turns to gun cleaning​

2m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Greg Lynn was next asked about his decision to clean the firearm at the centre of the struggle with Russell Hill.

Code for "I expected to get away with it"

Strange decision for him to take the stand. Defence was ahead IMO.