Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Case Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have been taken to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.
The remains 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, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a tree hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the grave.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with 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
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he began arguments.
The defence is has not 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 "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was one who gave evidence last week.
The trial was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
