As a former Jetstar captain, Greg Lynn controlled the fate of those who flew on his aircraft. Now, Mr Lynn's future will be decided by 15 strangers.
A Supreme Court jury will have to decide whether Mr Lynn is a killer who took the lives of two campers "with murderous intent", or a man tangled up in a series of unfortunate events that led to two tragic deaths.
During the trial's opening day, Mr Lynn sat in the court dock as prosecution and defence lawyers outlined their arguments in front of the packed courtroom, which did not have enough seats to accommodate the number of people watching from the public gallery.
Dressed in a dark-coloured suit, Mr Lynn sat calmly and took notes as prosecutors described him as a man who committed a double murder, likely prompted by a dispute over a drone on March 20, 2020, in Victoria's High Country.
The ex-pilot remained composed as his barrister, Dermot Dann KC, described a very different story, centring on two fights that involved deadly struggles for a gun and a knife.
Both legal teams agreed about the final outcome of the altercation — Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, were killed, and Mr Lynn went to some effort to cover up their deaths.
The court heard that in November 2021, Mr Lynn told the police who arrested him that he was "innocent of murder".
"I haven't behaved well. I've made some poor decisions but murder, as I understand it, I am innocent of," Mr Lynn said.
Defence argues deaths were accidental
The opening day of the highly anticipated trial was told Mr Lynn set off for a solo hunting trip in the Wonnangatta Valley and parked his Nissan Patrol at Bucks Camp, near where Mr Hill and Ms Clay set up camp.
Mr Lynn's barrister Mr Dann said an argument took place between his client, a keen deer hunter, and Mr Hill, a drone enthusiast who had been flying the device in the area and capturing footage.
"Mr Hill said he had footage of Mr Lynn hunting too close to the campsite. He was going to take the footage to the police," Mr Dann said.
"Mr Lynn told him he was speaking nonsense. He went back to his campsite, was eating dinner and decided to turn his car stereo up and leave his car doors open."
Mr Dann claimed that Mr Hill, annoyed by the music, approached Mr Lynn's car and snatched a gun.
"When he caught up with Mr Hill, Mr Lynn asked what he was doing. He asked to give his gun back. Mr Hill told him to f*** off," Mr Dann said.
According to the defence case, Mr Hill then fired the gun in the air, a situation that left Mr Lynn feeling "scared shitless".
Mr Dann said a struggle for the gun then took place, and Ms Clay approached the men and was shouting "Russell, stop it".
With Mr Hill's finger on the trigger, the gun accidentally discharged, Mr Dann said.
The defence lawyer said the shot went through the side mirror of Mr Hill's vehicle and struck Ms Clay in the head, killing her.
Mr Dann said his client then retreated to his car and shut the doors, but was confronted by Mr Hill, enraged by the death of his lover.
"The next thing Mr Hill is advancing towards him with a knife screaming at him 'she's dead'," Mr Dann said.
The pair then wrestled for the knife and fell to the ground, with the blade going through Mr Hill's chest and fatally wounding him, Mr Dann said.
"That is his account. Two accidental deaths," Mr Dann told the jury.
Prosecution says Hill was likely killed first
In opening arguments, Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu painted a different picture of what allegedly happened.
He said it was likely Mr Hill was killed first – possibly because of a dispute over the drone – and that Ms Clay was murdered by Mr Lynn afterwards.
"The precise circumstances of the killings are not known, nor is the motivation," Mr Porceddu said.
"If he had been alive, Mr Hill could have readily called for assistance if he was aware Mrs Clay had been shot."
Both sides agree Mr Lynn placed the bodies of the campers in his trailer, destroyed evidence at the campsite by setting it on fire, and dumped the remains in remote bushland at Union Spur Track, several hours away.
Mr Lynn then returned home to his property in Caroline Springs, a suburb in Melbourne.
"He did not report the deaths of Mr Hill or Mrs Clay or contact police," Mr Porceddu said.
In an attempt to cover up his involvement in the deaths, Mr Lynn tried to sell his trailer on Gumtree and repainted his four-wheel-drive a different colour, the prosecutor said.
"The trailer was never found," Mr Porceddu said.
Court told of lengthy police investigation
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 on March 21.
Mr Hill was eventually reported missing by his wife on March 26.
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 watched 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 admits returning to the burial site 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.
Mr Dann said his client cooperated with police and admitted trying to hide the remains of Mr Hill and Ms Clay because he feared his life would be "screwed".
"He tries to make this disaster somehow go away," Mr Dann said.
Mr Dann said evidence during the six-week trial would support Mr Lynn's account of two accidental deaths.
The trial, before Justice Michael Croucher, continues on Wednesday.