Australian pilot convicted of murdering elderly camper
An Australian pilot has been found guilty of murdering an elderly woman who disappeared in Victoria in March 2020, yet a jury has acquitted him of the death of her fellow camper.
Greg Lynn, 57, was convicted of killing Carol Clay, 73, during a confrontation in Victoria’s Wonnangatta Valley. Lynn maintained his innocence but admitted to relocating Ms. Clay’s and Russell Hill’s bodies after destroying their campsite and subsequently burning their remains.
The case, which triggered one of the state’s most extensive missing person searches at the time, has captivated Australia.
During the five-week trial that commenced in May, Lynn testified in Victoria’s Supreme Court that he had clashed with the couple over his hunting in the area.
His defense contended that during separate struggles for control of a shotgun and a knife, Lynn unintentionally caused their deaths, arguing that these were not deliberate killings.
Prosecutors, however, asserted that Lynn likely shot Ms. Clay after already killing Mr. Hill.
The court heard that Mr. Hill and Ms. Clay were high school sweethearts who had revived their relationship later in life, despite Mr. Hill being married.
It was Mr Hill’s wife Robyn who reported the pair’s disappearance, when she called police on 25 May 2020, after five days of not hearing from her husband, who usually made a nightly radio call.
The jurors delivered the split verdict after six days of deliberation but did not comment further on them.
Lynn is expected to be sentenced on 19 July. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
