Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.
The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline 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 Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack 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 individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
