Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
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 nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that Mr Singh, 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 objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
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, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.