Jury in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.
Her body were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors 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, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the 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 arrested years after, the state said.
State Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was working as a nurse 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 assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
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 unrelated individual of the population.
The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.
Defence Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men attack 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 "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.
The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day 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 altered in any manner.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
