When Carol Clay rekindled her relationship with childhood sweetheart Russell Hill she believed destiny had determined they ought be collectively.
So when the couple vanished within the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine area, in March 2020, these closest to the couple believed it attainable they’d faked their very own disappearance to stay their greatest lives collectively a world away.
In actuality, their fates have been sealed the second they made the error of pitching their tent subsequent to former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn, who was discovered responsible within the Supreme Court docket of Victoria of Clay’s homicide – however not responsible of Hill’s.
Carol Clay was allegedly blasted with a shotgun by Greg Lynn earlier than Mr Hill was impaled on a knife throughout a wrestle with the previous pilot
Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn pleaded not responsible to murdering the aged campers. He was discovered responsible of Clay’s, however not Hill’s
In closing the prosecution case, Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu glanced over the relevance of the aged couple’s secret relationship as to the way it did or didn’t contribute to their deaths.
Lynn’s personal barrister Dermott Dann, KC later instructed the jury: ‘it is not irrelevant’.
The previous pilot claimed Ms Clay was wearing her pyjamas when Mr Hill made the error of stealing his shotgun from the again seat of his Nissan Patrol.
He instructed the court docket the following combat for management of the weapon led to the deaths of the aged couple.
Lynn instructed police he had turned-up his stereo to harass Mr Hill after a earlier confrontation about his drone.
‘He is making an attempt to have enjoyable in mattress and I used to be taking part in the music up loud and he is misplaced his mood,’ Lynn stated.
Throughout the trial, Mr Hill’s lengthy struggling spouse Robyn Hill defined what she knew about her husband’s sordid relationship along with his mistress.
A part of that story delved into Mr Hill’s personal private struggles with melancholy.
She instructed the jury Mr Hill got here to be positioned on anti-depressants after an incident within the mid Seventies within the bush the place he labored within the logging trade.
‘I would should say when he did go to hospital he had a really enlarged penis and it would not go down and that was a part of the melancholy apparently,’ she instructed the jury.
The court docket heard Mr Hill remained on-and-off anti-depressants in all of the years that adopted proper as much as the day he was allegedly murdered.
Robyn Hill fronted the Supreme Court docket of Victoria on Tuesday the place she was grilled about her husband’s secret life
Russell Hill was about 187cms tall and weighed about 93kgs on the time of his dying
Ms Hill instructed the court docket her husband had lengthy lied about his relationship with Ms Clay, who Lynn claimed was shot by Mr Hill in a tragic accident earlier than he died by falling on a knife within the following wrestle.
The jury heard Mr Hill was Ms Clay’s first boyfriend, however they’d hooked-up once more within the early 2000s.
Ms Hill instructed the court docket she and her husband would go on holidays to Phillip Island with Ms Clay and her then husband oblivious to their secret relationship.
She instructed the court docket she had identified Ms Clay so long as her husband, who had instructed her Ms Clay was her first cousin.
It was a lie Ms Hill solely realized after she noticed Mr Hill and Ms Clay behaving in ‘unusual methods’, equivalent to happening walks collectively on these journeys away.
The key relationship was lastly dropped at a head when a neighbour of the Hills threatened to reveal Mr Hill’s behaviour to his spouse.
The court docket heard Mr Hill confessed to the connection, however assured his spouse he would finish the affair instantly – a lie he maintained up till his alleged homicide.
Ms Hill stated she believed her husband was alone when he set off on his remaining tenting journey into the bush.
The jury heard Mr Hill had instructed his total household he can be alone.
The court docket heard Ms Hill had purchased her husband a contemporary field of anti-depressants together with cans of bourbon and coke and a bottle of Bundaberg rum for the journey.
Greg Lynn claims Russell Hill tried to steal his shotgun when he was compelled to intervene in what turned a lethal wrestle
Police later discovered a label for the erectile dysfunction capsule Viagra belonging to Mr Hill within the rest room bin of Ms Clay.
Ms Hill broke down in tears as she recalled how her husband continued to lie about his relationship with Ms Clay.
Ms Hill stated her husband loved sitting by the campfire at night time having fun with a number of drinks.
She instructed the court docket she had married him in 1969 and initially lived in Lilydale earlier than transferring to a flat in Nayook, east of Melbourne.
Mr Hill had labored his life within the logging trade, the place he hauled logs out of the bush with a bulldozer.
He had helped make a few of the very tracks he final drove upon within the Wonnangatta Valley the place he died.
Ms Hill stated she too would camp along with her husband in the identical rugged areas the place he took Ms Clay.
‘When Debbie was very small we used to camp in a caravan up there round Christmas as a result of he’d be placing tracks in,’ she stated.
Robyn Hill and her daughter Debbie each gave proof in the course of the trial
Ms Hill had lived with him in Drouin, in Melbourne’s south-east, on the time of his dying.
The court docket heard Mr Hill had taken up flying a drone throughout retirement the place he appreciated to get an aerial view of the panorama beneath.
She additionally spoke of his love for novice radio and the way he would discuss to pals on it on a regular basis.
The court docket heard she briefly listened in on radio calls Mr Hill made within the two days earlier than he died.
‘Quite a lot of the time I did not take heed to all that as a result of it was simply males’s enterprise,’ she stated.
Ms Hill stated her husband appeared jovial earlier than heading out on what can be his remaining journey.
‘He was comfortable as a result of he appreciated going up there. It is a beautiful place,’ she stated.
Mr Hill’s daughter Debbie Hill instructed the jury she knew of her father’s relationship with Ms Clay ‘a very long time in the past’.
Like her mom, she remembered her father telling her he would finish the connection within the mid-2000s.
Photographs obtained by police upon the preliminary seek for the lacking campers
A witness has claimed Greg Lynn was camped within the space circled. Mr Hill’s automobile was discovered about 30 metres from the river displayed
The Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine area, the place Russell Hill and Carol Clay have been allegedly murdered
Mr Dann instructed the jury the couple’s relationship remained an enigma to lots of those that knew them.
‘He’d been dwelling a double life for an extended, very long time,’ Mr Dann stated.
He instructed the jury Mr Hill, who was described as a tall and match man, was seemingly drunk and agitated when Lynn claimed he stole his shotgun.
‘It was late at night time. We are saying the inference is that Mr Hill was fuelled by alcohol,’ Mr Dann stated.
‘He’d solely been there a few nights or one night time earlier than. He is obtained the alcohol. He is within the tent with Ms Clay and he is obtained this particular person taking part in this loud music.’
Mr Dann reminded the jury about what Lynn instructed police about what he thought the couple have been as much as when he irritated them that night time.
‘Mr Lynn says in his file of interview he thought they have been having enjoyable in mattress. Now, is he making that up? Is he simply making that up for the sake of it?’ Mr Dann stated.
‘It coincides with (what one other witness) stated that was his impression of the connection. It was an intimate relationship.
‘We now have once more to help Mr Lynn’s account, not that he may know, presumably know something about this, we have now the Viagra data that (a police officer) noticed the prescription within the bin, clearly a current prescription.
‘There’s some lighting nonetheless on at their campsite so they don’t seem to be asleep for the night.’
On Tuesday, a jury couldn’t conclude past affordable doubt Lynn murdered Mr Hill, however discovered him responsible of killing Ms Clay.
