Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have been taken to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has heard.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Jury Visit to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors attended the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.
Scene Particulars
The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, three children and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
State Argument
It is claimed 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 swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.
The weapon was found, and no eyewitnesses have been found.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though indirect – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that genetic material obtained from a object at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has argued.
Defense Stance
"As the police were discovering Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "placid" 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 told an undercover officer he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under investigation.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was among those who testified last week.
The trial was informed he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.
Images depicting Mr Heidenreich 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 genuine and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.