Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
