Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were led around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, 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 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 discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence 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 unrelated individual of the public.
The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
