Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch 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 Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate 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, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see 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 parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Context of the Case
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a object at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled 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 investigation.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.
The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.
Images depicting the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
