Wrapped in a doona with a surgical mask draped across his face, former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn went about telling the lies he hoped would one day set him free.
The 57-year old was found guilty on Tuesday of the murder of elderly camper Carol Clay, but acquitted of murdering her secret lover Russell Hill.
On Friday, the section of his chilling record of interview to police, shown to the jury that convicted him, was released by the Supreme Court of Victoria.
The video, which was only a snippet of Lynn’s marathon four-and-half-day interview, showed the pilot calmly recount what prosecutors would later describe as ‘well-rehearsed lies’ to detectives.
Lynn had been provided the doona to combat the freezing conditions within the interview room of the Sale Police Station where Missing Persons Unit detectives Brett Florence and Daniel Passingham grilled him in November 2021.
There he told the detectives how Ms Clay was accidentally shot dead as he grappled with Mr Hill, who was then fatally stabbed.
Lynn had pleaded not guilty to the murders, which happened in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine region, on March 20, 2020.
Greg Lynn faces life in jail over the murder of Carol Clay
Detectives Sgt Brett Florence (right) and Leading Senior Constable Daniel Passingham grilled Greg Lynn upon his arrest
The video recording showed Lynn recall a supposed deadly fight with Mr Hill as they fought for control of a shotgun when it went off and killed Ms Clay.
The jury heard Lynn approached Mr Hill when a scuffle over the firearm took place.
‘I confronted him. “Give it back. What are you doing”, and he said he was going to take that to the police with him,’ Lynn said.
‘Then when I advanced towards him, he had the magazine in the shotgun at this stage, he pulled the action back and he let a couple of rounds go into the air.’
Lynn claimed he ran for his life before creeping back upon Mr Hill from the shadows.
‘I kept under the shadow and I moved in closer,’ Lynn said.
‘To try and disarm him, I jumped-up, I grabbed the shotgun barrel with my right arm, pivoted around so that I was facing him… I had the left hand on the stock, right hand on the barrel, and we wrestled.
‘The shotgun was pointed over this way and it was discharged. My hand was not on the trigger, it was on the barrel… he wouldn’t let it go, it discharged. It went through the left hand rear view (mirror) and killed Ms Clay dead.’
Lynn claimed he hid the shotgun upon Mr Hill letting go of it only to be confronted by him again moments later armed with a kitchen knife.
‘He advances towards me with a knife in his right hand and a fist clenched in his left. He first takes a swing with his left hand, I blocked it,’ Lynn said.
‘With his right hand, he takes a swing with the knife, I (grabbed) his wrist and with my left arm pulled over his right and he pushed me over back on the ground and the knife went into his chest.
‘He rolled over and when I got off him he crawled a little bit then he stopped moving. And I thought, “What am I going to do?”.’
Greg Lynn calmly told detectives lies for days on end
Carol Clay was shot in the head before Mr Hill died by a knife wound to the chest, Lynn claims
Fire damage was spotted on Mr Hill’s Landcruiser. Lynn admitted to burning his campsite and later his body
Lynn claimed he checked for signs of life on both the campers but quickly realised they were both dead.
‘And from here I panicked. You know, that’s my shotgun, one person dead, he’s dead as well now. And I’m going to be found guilty of this,’ Lynn said.
The jury heard Lynn quickly worked to cover up the bloody crime scene.
‘It was very messy and that’s why I put the tables and things inside the tent,’ Lynn said.
The jury heard Lynn set the campers’ tent on fire before taking away their bodies in his trailer.
Lynn told police he had hoped to simply forget what happened out in the bush and move on with life.
‘I just wanted it to all go away and just move on and never think about it again, but really that’s not going to happen,’ Lynn told the detectives.
‘I’ve just been trying to keep my head down and just move on with life and just forget about it. But it’s caught up with me.’
Lynn told police he wished he had come forward immediately after he claimed the ‘tragic accident’ happened.
‘I wish I had have come forward now too, but I just wanted it to go away. Whatever happened, I was screwed.’
Lynn drew maps and diagrams for the detectives
Lynn eventually presented his version of events after days of interrogation. The jury didn;t believe him
The 12-gauge shotgun Lynn claims Mr Hill stole from him before accidentally shooting his secret lover
The jury heard Lynn calmly describe what was left of the elderly campers after he returned to the crime scene months later to finish disposing of their bodies.
‘The snow has dissipated. It’s now November and I thought, “I’ve got to finish this because I just don’t want to have to deal with it again”,’ he said.
‘I drove back up there and just set fire to them. And there’s nothing there. You’ll see where it is but you’ll find nothing there. There’s nothing to bury. I’m sorry.
‘That’s the truth and that’s the best I can give you. It’s not going to be much relief for the family. There’s nothing to see, nothing to be found.
‘Go and have a look. You’ll find evidence of the fire. It is what it is.’
On Tuesday, a jury found they could not find beyond reasonable doubt that Lynn had murdered Mr Hill.
But they had no doubt about Ms Clay.
Lynn will return to court next month for a pre-sentence hearing.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk