Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote beach where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.
The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates attended the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Location Particulars
The court members were led around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.
Defense Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants 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 other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who testified previously.
The court heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were found.
Photographs showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.
