Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men 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 "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were found.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.