Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Case Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended 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, the judge wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been left.
The visit was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a tree hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve evidence that DNA recovered from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The court has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defense Position
"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified last week.
The trial was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, even before her body were found.
Images depicting the witness on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.