The blackened and shattered remains of secret campers have been shown to jurors in the ongoing murder trial of former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn.
Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn, 57, has been acquitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria of the murders of Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, in the Wonnangatta Valley, Victoria’s Alpine region, on March 20, 2020.
On Wednesday, jurors were shown grisly images of what was left of Mr Hill and Ms Clay after Lynn burned, destroyed and scattered their remains in the remote wilderness.
The jury heard that Lynn admitted to detectives that he destroyed the bodies because he feared he would be wrongly accused of murder.
Shotgun police say Greg Lynn killed elderly camper Carol Clay
Greg Lynn appears in the Supreme Court of Victoria
Other images showed the blackened portion of a ‘big toe’ bone, a broken ankle and a blackened and cracked tibia.
A ring believed to be Mrs. Clay’s was also found.
The footage was detailed by forensic expert Dr Soren Blau, who said the bones were among around 2,000 fragments discovered by police at three locations, including the original campsite where Lynn claims the ‘tragic accident’ took place.
The jury heard that at least 46 of those fragments were believed to have come from the campers’ skulls, while many other shards could not be identified.
Lynn appeared to take notes during the gruesome evidence, which was shown on the court’s large television.
On Tuesday, forensic entomologist Dr Melanie Archer told the jury that what was left of the campers had been ‘obliterated’ by Lynn.
“The problem for the forensic pathologist is that the material you need, the evidence you need to help you make that decision, has been erased,” she said.
‘There are no toxicological samples, so you cannot look for a toxicological contribution.
‘Due to the fragmentation of the remains, you cannot examine for trauma.
‘In the case of natural disease, there were no soft tissues left; That wasn’t possible there.’
Dr. Archer said what was left of the couple was set on fire made the problem worse.
“The toxicological and soft tissue evidence that we should be seeing cannot be seen in these highly altered and fragmented remains,” she said.
“So you have indeterminacy as your only choice.”
The jury previously heard that Lynn fully admitted to burning and dumping the campers’ remains in the hole of a fallen tree.
He himself gave the location to detectives after his arrest in November 2021.
Greg Lynn’s shotgun was equipped with a laser sight
Lynn claims Russell Hill was stabbed after falling on a knife during a deadly struggle
Carol Clay was allegedly shot in the head by Greg Lynn
The jury heard Lynn admitted disposing of the couple’s bodies in the bush after taking them into his caravan.
The accused killer of the elderly couple claims it was Mr Hill who caused the trouble that ended in tragedy.
The court heard that Hill and Lynn had had an argument about Lynn hunting deer so close to other campers.
Later that evening, Lynn decided to turn up the volume on his car radio in an attempt to irritate Mr Hill, the jury heard.
It was about 10 p.m. when Lynn noticed that Mr. Hill had gotten into his car and stolen his 12-gauge shotgun.
The jury heard that when Lynn tried to wrestle the firearm away from Mr Hill, the gun went off and Ms Clay was hit in the head.
When he saw what had happened, Mr. Hill dropped the gun and rushed to Ms. Clay’s body.
Mr Dann said his client picked up the gun and fired the remaining shots into the air before being attacked by an irate Mr Hill.
“The next thing is Mr. Hill comes up to him with a knife and yells at him, ‘She’s dead,'” Mr. Dann said.
‘There was a struggle over the knife. Mr. Lynn tries to defend himself – they are engaged in this struggle – and as part of that struggle the two men fall to the ground and the knife goes through Mr. Hill’s chest.”
The process continues.