Jury in Prominent Australian Homicide Case Visits Beach Where Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
Her body were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Beach
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Details
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers 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 testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the grave.
No murder weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was extremely more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on Tuesday.