Jury in Greg Lynn’s murder trial for deaths of campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill released

The jury in the high-profile murder trial of Greg Lynn, the former Jetstar pilot accused of killing two campers in Victoria’s High Country, was dismissed moments before opening arguments began.

Lynn, 57, is on trial for the deaths of retirees Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who went camping in Victoria’s alpine region in March 2020 and never returned.

The couple’s disappearance in the Wonnangatta Valley, about a five-hour drive east of Melbourne, sparked a major search operation.

Lynn was charged with two counts of murder in November 2021.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges in the Supreme Court of Victoria before a 14-person jury met on Thursday.

But the jury returned to the courtroom and was told they would be dismissed for “technical reasons” shortly after the trial resumed Friday morning.

“It is my melancholy duty to explain to you that you have now been dismissed as a juror,” Judge Michael Croucher told them.

“I have taken the view, in consultation with the parties, that it is appropriate for you to be dismissed and a new jury empaneled.”

A new jury is expected to be selected next week and a new trial will be held for Mr. Lynn.

The trial could last up to six weeks when it resumes.