Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn murdered two campers, destroyed evidence, dumped their bodies and then returned home and made no mention of the killings, prosecutors allege.
On the opening day of his Supreme Court trial, prosecutors said a dispute over a drone may have been the catalyst for a deadly fight and two alleged murders on March 20, 2020 in Victoria's High Country.
Mr Lynn has pleaded not guilty to murdering Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, during a camping trip to the Wonnangatta Valley.
Prosecutors allege Mr Lynn shot Ms Clay in the head and then killed Mr Hill at a site called Bucks Camp.
It was standing room only in the public gallery of Courtroom three, as prosecutor Daniel Porceddu rose to his feet to open the Crown case.
Mr Porceddu said a dispute over a drone flown by Mr Hill may have occurred, sparking a confrontation between Mr Lynn and the deceased.
"The precise circumstances of the killings are not known, nor is the motivation," he said.
"Mrs Clay is alleged to have been shot in the head by the accused in the vicinity of the canopy of the passenger side of Mr Hill's white LandCruiser."
Mr Lynn accused of destroying evidence at remote campsite
Mr Porceddu said Mr Lynn placed the bodies of the alleged victims in the trailer of his vehicle and destroyed evidence at the campsite by setting the area on fire.
"It is alleged the accused made considerable efforts to contaminate the scene," he said.
Mr Porceddu said Mr Lynn dumped the bodies at bushland at a remote location named Union Spur Track, after driving for several hours.
Mr Lynn is then alleged to have returned home to Caroline Springs, a suburb in Melbourne.
"He did not report the deaths of Mr Hill or Mrs Clay or contact police," Mr Porceddu said.
Mr Lynn is alleged to have placed an ad on Gumtree to sell his trailer shortly after the alleged killings.
"The trailer was never found," Mr Porceddu said.
The prosecutor said Mr Hill and Ms Clay had been in a relationship since 2006, and regularly went camping together.
Ms Clay had told a friend about the upcoming trip to the Wonnangatta Valley and "sounded excited to be going camping", Mr Porceddu said.
Mr Hill had a passion for drone flying and enjoyed speaking to friends on high-frequency radio each day.
Suspicions were raised when Mr Hill failed to radio in at 6pm to chat with his friends.
Mr Hill was eventually reported missing by his wife on March 26 .
Police bugged Greg Lynn's car and home during investigation
The prosecutor said that in the months that followed, police carried out an extensive investigation looking for the missing campers but found no trace of them.
Police did, however, capture Mr Lynn's four-wheel-drive and trailer on traffic cameras in the alpine region.
Investigators secretly bugged Mr Lynn's house, capturing conversations he had with his wife Melanie. Devices were also installed in Mr Lynn's car.
Mr Porceddu said Mr Lynn was captured talking to his wife, as they sat at home watching an episode of Channel Nine's 60 Minutes program, which aired a story about the mysterious disappearance of Mr Hill and Ms Clay.
"The accused told his wife there were only four hours in the day when he was in the area when the campers went missing and how it was not funny," Mr Porceddu said.
Mr Lynn is alleged to have returned to the site where the bodies were dumped on multiple occasions.
He was eventually arrested in November 2021.
Mr Porceddu said human remains were discovered by police at the base of a tree at Union Spur Track.
The Crown's opening address is continuing.
Mr Lynn, dressed in a dark-coloured suit, sat calmly in the court dock, listening to proceedings and taking notes.
Mr Lynn's barrister Dermot Dann KC will provide a defence response to the jury after Mr Porceddu's opening address.
Witnesses will then be called to give evidence, with the trial scheduled to run for up to six weeks.
More than 100 people listed as witnesses in trial
Campers, friends and relatives of the deceased, police, scientists and technology experts are among those on an extensive witness list, which exceeds 100 people.
Mr Lynn's wife Melanie and two of his sons could also be called to the stand.
A jury of 15, comprising 12 members and three reserves, was picked on Monday and is tasked with delivering verdicts in the case.
Justice Michael Croucher said for Mr Lynn to be guilty of murder, the jury would need to be satisfied that Mr Lynn intended to kill or cause very serious injury to the campers and was not acting in self defence.
If the threshold was not met for murder, Justice Croucher said, it was open to the jury to return guilty verdicts for the alternate charge of manslaughter.
The judge told the jury to keep an open mind and not reach conclusions until they heard all the evidence.
"Your duty is to consider this case according to your heads, not your heart," he said.
The trial continues.
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2024-05-14 01:33:45Z
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