Jury in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated beach where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Scene Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Trial
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated 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 incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
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 assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – 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 found.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.
