Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Details
The jurors were guided 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 vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Trial
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, 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 found.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any way.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
