Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of 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 prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
State Case
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 victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a stick at the scene 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 indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" 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 last week.
The trial was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.