Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault 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 other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were found.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.
