Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.
Her body were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Particulars
The jurors 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, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended 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 confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those items were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was located secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.
The court heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were found.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
