Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.
Background of the Case
Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out 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 girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were found.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.
