Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has argued.
Defence Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.
The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her remains were found.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.