Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind 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 the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence that genetic material 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 previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described 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 arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "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 person of interest, was one who testified previously.
The trial was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her remains were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.
