Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach At Which Victim Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken 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 sandy resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
Her body were found by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Inspection to Beach
The jury of 12 individuals plus several back-up jurors attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the victim's car had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been found.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence 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 population.
The court has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the state has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described 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 apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out 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 been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.
