Carol Clay, Russell Hill: Murder Allegations Against Pilot Gregory Lynn Will Be Revealed

[ad_1]

The major questions revolving around the disappearance and alleged murder of Carol Clay and Russell Hill in the high country of Victoria may soon be answered.

Police have yet to reveal why Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn, 56, was charged with the murder of the two campers, and his version of events has never been released to the public.

On Monday, Mr Lynn will return for his fourth court appearance where claims he murdered the couple are expected to be tested in a courtroom for the first time.

Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, disappeared from their campsite in the Wonnangatta Valley – in the heart of the Victorian Alps – in March 2020.

They were lifelong friends and Mr Hill was known to be a well-prepared and enthusiastic camper, with police and family expressing extreme concern after their campsite and car were found burnt down.

A search for the pair was quickly unsuccessful, and with no bodies, weapons or motives, police began the painstaking work of piecing together what they believed to have happened in the remote wilderness of Victoria.

It was early November 2021 when a breakthrough apparently emerged, as detectives revealed they were looking for the driver of a blue Nissan Patrol caught on cameras leaving the area at an unusual time.

At the time, Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said the ‘best theory’ was that there had been a confrontation between the couple and an unidentified third party – possibly over Mr Hill’s drone.

Witnesses had reported that Mr Hill was flying a DJI Mavic drone over the remote campsite in the hours before they disappeared – he was never found.

Weeks later, officers from the heavily armed Special Operations Group snatched Mr Lynn from the wild near Arbuckle Junction in central Victoria.

The career pilot, known for his regular camping trips, was taken without incident to the small Victorian town of Sale, where for three days he was questioned by investigators.

He was charged with two counts of murder on November 25, and days later investigators discovered remains later identified as belonging to the couple.

Mr Lynn had previously been questioned after he was identified as being present in the area at the time of their disappearance.

The remains, later confirmed to be the missing campers, were found buried in the bush near Dargo about 40 km from the original campsite. They had been missing for more than 20 months.

In August last year, Mr Lynn denied murdering Mr Hill and Ms Clay – formally pleading not guilty – but his account of what he was doing at Wonnangatta was not shown in court.

Key elements of the case against Mr Lynn came to light during his court appearances, with Crown prosecutors revealing they had amassed a 733-page dossier of evidence, including phone records, phone calls intercepted, digital surveillance and the testimony of a ballistics expert.

In November, the court heard that testimony from ballistics expert Paul Griffiths – specifically on the ‘bullet trajectory’ – was crucial to the case, indicating the Melbourne pair may have been shot.

Mr. Lynn has been in pre-trial detention for 412 days.

Read related topics: Melbourne

[ad_2]