Jury in Prominent Down Under Murder Trial Visits Shoreline Where Deceased Was Found
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was located.
The 24-year-old victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy grave with minimal chance of survival, the jury has been told.
The remains were discovered by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing 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 three alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Details
The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers showed where the vehicle had been left.
The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.
Background of the Trial
Last week, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and relatives.
He was not heard from until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those objects were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its movements matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defence is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen assailants attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."
The defense attorney has also said he will give evidence about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Further Evidence
Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.
The court heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his partner's vanishing, even before her body were discovered.
Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were genuine and had not been doctored in any manner.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.