Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Found
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Queensland homicide case have been taken to the remote beach where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that genetic material recovered from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "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 possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The trial was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her remains were found.
Images showing the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
