Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Australian Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Found
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Inspection to Crime Scene
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors attended 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 T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Location Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the victim's car 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.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, prosecutors contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a post hidden in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will include evidence that DNA obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle owned by the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defense is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – 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 suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The trial heard 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 girlfriend's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will return to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.