Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach At Which Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
Her body were discovered by her father the next 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.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.
Context 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 – leaving behind his spouse, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.
The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defence Position
"As the police were finding Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor 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 described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.
The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were found.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.