A weed sprayer has described seeing a grumpy old man, believed to be Russell Hill, speed past him on his way to a remote Victorian campsite on the day it’s alleged he was murdered.
He also recounted giving a man, believed to be accused killer Greg Lynn, directions to the campsite two days earlier.
Lynn, who was an airline pilot at the time, is accused of killing Hill and his childhood sweetheart Carol Clay while they were camping in the Wonnangatta Valley more than four years ago.
The 57-year-old has pleaded not guilty and is facing a four-to-six week trial in the Supreme Court in Melbourne.
Two weed sprayers and two deer hunters gave evidence to the jury today about their interactions with Lynn, Hill and Clay near Bucks Camp in March 2020.
Robert Williams, who was spraying blackberries in the area, said a man wearing gaitors and shorts, aged in his 50s approached him on March 18.
He said the man was “all sweaty” and looked sick so he asked him to stand a few metres away in case he had COVID-19.
Williams said the man, believed to be Lynn, then asked him where the best place to camp in the area was.
“Bucks Camp is definitely the best near Wonnangatta Station,” he told the jury.
On March 20, Williams said he saw a “grumpy old bugger”, believed to be Hill, in a “snazzied up” white Toytota Landcruiser.
He said the car zoomed past him and did not stop to say hello.
“The way he accelerated past me, it was like he was on a mission,” he told the jury.
“He was very unhappy … he just looked really grumpy and sad.”
Later that day, about 4.30pm, he saw a “rude” drone fly over him.
“I heard this noise coming down the river, looked up, over the top of me there was a drone flying very low,” he said.
“I actually waved to the drone, he tilted his wings.”
The jury was told on Tuesday the two campers died on March 20 after an argument between Lynn and Hill about hunting and the latter’s drone.
Hill had threatened to send footage of Lynn deer hunting close to Bucks Camp to police, defence barrister Dermot Dann KC said.
He said a scuffle ensured after Hill took a gun from Lynn’s vehicle and Clay was accidentally shot by Hill.
He claimed Hill then came at Lynn with a knife, and was accidentally stabbed in the chest as Lynn was trying to defend himself.
Lynn then burned Clay and Hill’s campsite, put their bodies in his trailer and dumped them on the remote Union Spur Track, near Dargo.
