Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Case Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
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 parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is alleged 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 found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
Defence Stance
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane 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 "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 arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified 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 implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.