Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Trial Tours Beach At Which Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was discovered.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a sandy grave with little or no chance of survival, the jury has been told.
Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a section of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Inspection to Beach
The jury of 10 men and two women plus several back-up jurors visited the location along with the judge and barristers on the start of the week local time.
In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Details
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Earlier, as they arrived by bus, four red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.
Context of the Case
Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Case
It is claimed that Mr Singh, who was employed in healthcare in the town of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.
Those objects were taken by the assailant to conceal evidence, the prosecution allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 30 metres from the grave.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised findings that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a stick at the location was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the prosecution has argued.
Defense Position
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer portrayed his client as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed 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 testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified last week.
The court was informed he was an initial person of interest – 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.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.