Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found
Jurors involved in a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit 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 the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, 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."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.
The trial heard 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 girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.