Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.
Prosecution Case
It is claimed 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 found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
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 "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney 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, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her body were found.
Photographs showing the witness on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.