Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Visits Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian murder trial have been taken to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal hope of surviving, the court has heard.
Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The panel of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the beach along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The court members were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the jurors become acquainted with important sites in the case and no testimony was given.
Context of the Case
Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended years after, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.
Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.
Her dog, 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 grave.
The weapon was found, and no one have been found.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."
This will involve testimony that genetic material recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"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 defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his defendant as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified previously.
The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her body were discovered.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.
