A recording of former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn describing his panicked attempts to destroy evidence of the deaths of two campers has been played to the Supreme Court in a pivotal moment of his murder trial.
The interview, which Mr Lynn provided to police in November 2021, gave jurors his detailed account of the campsite dispute at the heart of the case.
While prosecutors allege the former pilot murdered campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay at the Wonnangatta Valley campsite they shared in March 2020, Mr Lynn's lawyers contend the deaths were tragic accidents the 57-year-old tried to cover up afterwards.
In the detailed interview played to the court on Monday, the former pilot told investigators he initially exchanged pleasantries with the elderly couple he was later accused of murdering.
But, speaking calmly as he pored over a map of the Wonnangatta Valley in a police interview room, Mr Lynn said Mr Hill's demeanour changed when the former pilot returned from a deer hunting expedition the next day.
According to the interview, a dispute broke out between the two men after Mr Hill flew his drone near Mr Lynn later in the day.
"I asked him why he was using the drone and he said that he didn't like deer hunters and he had some video footage of me now hunting close to the camp," Mr Lynn told police.
The former pilot denied that he was close to the camp, before an "annoyed" Mr Lynn started playing loud music from his car stereo.
When he next saw Mr Hill, Mr Lynn told police, he was walking away from the Mr Lynn's vehicle with the pilot's shotgun in his hands.
The retiree fired "a couple of rounds" into the air when Mr Lynn approached him, he said.
"I immediately ran around the back [of his vehicle] fearing I might be going to cop the next one," he added.
When Mr Lynn tried to disarm Mr Hill, the two men "wrestled" over the weapon before it fired through a rear-view mirror and into Ms Clay's head, Mr Lynn told police.
"My hand was not on the trigger. It was on the barrel," he said.
When Mr Hill later approached the 57-year-old and swung at him with a knife, the former pilot told police, the knife "went into his chest" at the end of another struggle.
"And then I thought 'What am I gonna do'," the former pilot said.
"I went over and Mrs Clay was clearly dead. I came back, I checked for a pulse on Mr Hill. He was clearly dead.
"From here, I panicked."
The 57-year-old told police he moved the couple's bodies into his trailer, set fire to their campsite and drove out into the night at about 9pm or 10pm.
"Yes, it was to cover evidence," he said in the interview.
"I thought I was going to get blamed for this, as I am, and I tried to cover as much evidence as I could."
'It's caught up with me'
The disappearance of the campers sparked a major search effort and generated intense media coverage.
In the interview, Mr Lynn described wishing the matter would "go away" as it came under "a lot of scrutiny".
The 57-year-old told police he sold a number of items, including his trailer, while he was stood down from work during coronavirus lockdowns.
The interview also captured Mr Lynn using a computer to show police the remote site where he dumped the couple's bodies, later returning on an overnight trip to set fire to their remains.
Asked about the media attention drawn to the case, the former pilot said he knew he had been "on the radar for a while".
In the interview Mr Lynn likened the situation to the 1998 movie The Truman Show, saying "everyone knows what's going on but you don't."
"I've just been trying to keep my head down and just move on with life and just forget about it," he said.
"But … it's caught up with me."
The 57-year-old described his decision to hide the bodies instead of going straight to police as "a mistake".
"I wish you'd have come forward," one of the officers said.
"I wish I had've come forward now too," Mr Lynn replied.
"Whatever happened, I was screwed."
Accused's car, home bugged
Earlier in the day, police revealed how they bugged Mr Lynn's home and tracked his vehicle during their deepening investigation into the disappearance of the two elderly campers.
Sergeant Brett Florence — the officer who spearheaded the case — told the court the surveillance devices were installed so investigators could "listen for information".
Police crews and a cadaver dog travelled to the Howitt Plains area about a month after Mr Lynn's vehicle was tracked travelling to the alpine area in December 2020.
It was the first in a number of searches in the area over the next three months, with searchers combing through key sites in the trial for any trace of the couple or Mr Hill's phone.
In late April, a police aircraft flew over tracks in the Wonnangatta Valley, just 20 metres above tree canopies.
Despite about five searches, nothing was found.
The trial continues.
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2024-06-03 06:33:45Z
CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTA2LTAzL2dyZWctbHlubi10cmlhbC1ydXNzZWxsLWhpbGwtY2Fyb2wtY2xheS1taXNzaW5nLWNhbXBlcnMvMTAzOTI4NjE20gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMzkyODYxNg
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