Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn checked into a hotel room still allegedly covered in the blood of elderly camper Russell Hill, a court has heard.
The 74-year old’s blood had allegedly been found on a white bathmat at a hotel in the Wonnangatta region in Victoria’s rugged alpine region.
Daily Mail Australia can now reveal shocking new details on how police allege the pilot shot, slashed, hacked and burnt the bodies of Mr Hill and his secret lover Carol Clay after forensic court documents were released to the public.
Police believe Carol Clay was shot in the head by the passenger side of Russell Hill’s vehicle (pictured). Traces of what is believed to be her blood was found splattered across the rear canopy, which was damaged by fire, court documents have revealed.
Police allegedly located a large Ghurka knife – believed to be similar to the one pictured – at Greg Lynn’s home. It had traces of blood on it, court documents state
Greg Lynn had an affection for guns, knives and the outdoors, publicly released court documents allege
Lynn, 56, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with the murders of Mr Hill and Ms Clay, 73.
It can now be revealed via court documents that police allegedly found a cache of knives upon searching Lynn’s Caroline Springs home after executing a search warrant there in November 2021.
Among the treasure trove of deadly weapons included two swords and 16 knives in sheaths, including throwing knives and daggers, court documents state.
Forensic officer Mark Gellatly told the court blood had been found on a large Gurkha knife, a hunting knife, Damascus knife, dagger and on the inner surface of the sheath of a yellow-handled hatchet.
Police believe Lynn ‘burnt, dispersed, and partially interred them’, the court heard.
Their remains would not be found until November 2021 – some 20 months after they were allegedly murdered.
Court documents allege Lynn’s home had been loaded with guns, including semi-automatic pistols, Rugar revolvers, semi-automatic and lever action rifles and semi-automatic shotguns – one of which police allege was used to kill Ms Clay.
Russell Hill (pictured, right) and Carol Clay (left) are alleged by police to have been murdered during a camping trip in March 2020
Lynn took notes from behind protective glass within the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday
Police alleged in court that Lynn blasted Ms Clay in the head with shotgun after getting into an angry confrontation with Mr Hill over the use of his drone in the national park, which is illegal.
Court documents claim Lynn had arrived at the hotel after murdering and torching the elderly couple’s campsite.
Traces of singed hair was later recovered by police from the scene and analysed.
The court heard Lynn had tried to cover his bloody tracks, scrubbing the hotel room clean, but missed the bathmat in his haste.
While Mr Hill’s DNA was allegedly found on the mat, none of Ms Clay’s was located, documents state.
Police believe Greg Lynn shot, stabbed, burnt and ‘dispursed’ the bodies of Russell Hill and Carol Clay. Pictured is the burnt remains of Mr Hill’s campsite
Russell Hill (pictured with his missing drone) is believed to have filmed campers in and about the area where he was allegedly murdered
Lynn maintains he had acted in self-defence and told police it was Mr Hill who was the author of his own demise, the court heard.
Mr Gellatly told the court Lynn claimed he had returned to his camp after getting into the argument, but Mr Hill refused to let it go.
‘Hill went to Lynn’s vehicle and grabbed (his) shotgun, the two wrestled over the gun causing it to discharge, which struck Clay in the head,’ he told the court via his police statement.
The blast is believed to have killed the mother-of-three instantly.
What happened next, according to Lynn, was a fight to the death that ended with him stabbing Mr Hill to death, court documents suggest.
Lynn had travelled into the rugged wilderness to hunt deer.
A deer hunting map contained in a plastic bag was later recovered from his home.
The court heard prosecutors were keen to have the contents of Lynn’s initial record of interview and his original statement to police suppressed over fears they may be inadmissible when the matter goes to trial.
Greg Lynn’s barrister Dermot Dann, KC attends court in Melbourne on Monday. Mr Dann is regarded as one of Australia’s top legal minds
Police put out sketches of a vehicle they were looking for knowing full well they had the very car they wanted bugged
A court battle over the content of that evidence between Crown prosecutors, Lynn’s barrister and media organisations will return to court on Friday.
On Tuesday, media organisations were provided a redacted version of the alleged events that omitted many of the allegations against Lynn.
Despite fighting for information on the case to be suppressed, prosecutor John Dickie took an extraordinary swipe at the reporting of the hearing after Lynn’s version of events were finally aired.
‘There are matters that are not in that document, that have been removed from that document, that clearly the prosecution intends to rely on upon,’ 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.’
Mr Dickie said he was concerned that some media outlets had ‘not heard the evidence properly’ when publishing court reports on the preliminary hearing.
‘Just so that no-one is under any misapprehension, that’s how the two charges are entered and those two charges are before the court,’ he said.
Lynn is expected to enter a plea of not guilty to the charges at the conclusion of the hearing next week.
