Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Beach At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Case
Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that genetic material recovered from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.
Defence Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.
