Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Murder Trial Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Case
Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim 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 dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away 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.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, even before her body were found.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on the next day.