Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations 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 departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state 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 victim was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that DNA recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.
The court was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.