The jury in the Greg Lynn murder trial has returned to court to ask two questions that could help them reach a unanimous verdict.
The former Jetstar pilot has been acquitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria of the murders of secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine region, on March 20, 2020.
On Tuesday, Judge Michael Croucher was told the jury wanted to see video recordings of both Lynn and ballistics expert Senior Constable Paul Griffiths giving evidence in court.
Greg Lynn appears in the Supreme Court of Victoria
Secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, died in March 2020 in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine region.
The pair both gave around four and a half hours of evidence during the trial, which was recorded via cameras placed in the courtroom.
The jury withdrew on Monday afternoon to consider its verdict and has now deliberated for a day and a half.
The jury went home on Tuesday around 4 p.m. and will not receive an answer to the request until Wednesday.
Senior Constable Griffiths previously told the jury he found the 12-gauge slug allegedly used to kill Ms Clay at the location where her burnt campsite was found on March 2, 2022.
The mutilated slug was also found to contain fibers and ‘biological material’, believed to be that of Mrs Clay.
The jury has previously heard claims that the slug that killed Ms Clay blew off the passenger side mirror of Mr Hill’s Landcruiser before hitting Ms Clay in the head.
‘Since a long time had already passed, we had to use a sifting technique. So we went down almost an inch in that area,” he said.
Using a metal detector, the detective located shards of glass and the slug, he told the court.
“It was a fired projectile with a significant amount of impact damage,” Senior Constable Griffiths said.
A week later, a new search turned up even more alleged evidence, including bone fragments.
Shotgun police say Greg Lynn killed elderly camper Carol Clay
Greg Lynn’s shotgun was equipped with a laser sight
Police believe the side mirror of Russell Hill’s car was shot off (photo)
Senior Constable Griffiths said he was sent back into the bush in March 2022 in the hope of finding evidence that may have been previously missed.
“The purpose was to search for other objects and, from memory, find shell casings… and other bone fragments,” he told the jury.
His evidence was destroyed by Lynn’s lawyer Dermott Dann, KC.
During cross-examination, Senior Constable Griffiths came under fire for not checking Lynn’s story before carrying out trajectory tests.
The jury heard that the detective had not used Lynn’s shotgun to carry out the tests, despite previously telling him he had a preliminary hearing.
“This is just a failed exercise, isn’t it,” Mr Dann said.
“It’s absolutely right,” was the answer.
Lynn himself spent much of the day on the witness stand giving his version of events.
Although Lynn has always denied killing the couple, the jury heard that he had openly 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… yes, I should be punished for it. For what I did.’
The jury heard that Lynn had offered to plead guilty to destroying evidence before going to trial, but this was rejected by the prosecutor.
“I am innocent of murder,” he said. ‘I am innocent (also of manslaughter). I didn’t kill anyone.’
Smartly dressed in a suit and dark glasses, the former pilot spoke in a cool and calm manner as he guided the jury through the gory details of what police say was cold-blooded murder.