Jury in Prominent Australian Murder Case Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.
Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was given.
Background of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the prosecution said.
State Argument
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 pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were removed by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was found, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has already heard evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire described his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men assault 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 "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence last week.
The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.
Photographs showing the witness on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any way.
The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.