The families of Carol Clay and Russell Hill have shared their grief after former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn was found guilty of the murder of Mrs Clay and acquitted of the murder of Mr Hill.
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The joint statement issued by the families said they were "relieved and devastated" by the verdicts.
They said "the jury have only decided murder in one case, that of Carol Clay".
"The verdict of guilty was the only charge. The possibility of a verdict of 'manslaughter' was ruled out. We thank the jury for their verdict of guilty in the murder of Carol Clay.
"It was an extremely difficult task given that the accused destroyed so much evidence."
But the verdict of not guilty for the murder Russell Hill was devastating, the statement said.
"There was not enough evidence to be sure of how he died. Our families were always aware that the prosecutor had an enormous burden of proof as there were no eyewitnesses. The accused was the only person who saw and experienced what happened. He was also the only person who emerged alive."
The Hill and Clay families thanked "the crown prosecutors wholeheartedly for their diligent effort in presenting the pretrial and the trial. They had an enormous job putting a case together with limited evidence".
"They fought hard to keep all their evidence allowed in court, so the jury could make an informed decision, but this was not the case."
The families were "heartbroken at the loss of our loved ones".
"It will take time to absorb the verdicts, put this behind us and set about healing and getting on with our lives. Right now, we ask you to respect our privacy while we do this."
Police applaud the families' courage
"Our thoughts are with the Hill and Clay families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past four years have been for them," assistant commissioner Martin O'Brien said.
"Their courage and resilience in the face of their grief, amidst enormous public attention, has been nothing short of extraordinary.
"We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision.
"We would also like to acknowledge the determination and perseverance of Missing Persons Squad detectives over the course of this exhaustive and complex investigation, as well as the significant support received from a number of specialist areas and local police from right across Victoria Police."
Carol Clay and Russell Hill's death
This comes as Mr Lynn is facing life behind bars after a jury found he murdered Mrs Clay but not Mr Hill.
The 57-year-old pilot faced a five-week trial in Victoria's Supreme Court over the 2020 double murder, taking to the witness stand to tell his story in the final weeks.
Mr Hill and Mrs Clay went missing from the Wonnangatta Valley, part of Victoria's alpine region, while camping together.
Lynn claimed the two deaths were accidental but admitted burning the crime scene and destroying their bodies.
He returns to court on July 19 for a mention where dates will be set.