Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Shoreline Where Victim Was Discovered
Members of the jury involved in a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was located.
Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a sharp object and buried in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has been told.
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.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.
Court Visit to Crime Scene
The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the location along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a acknowledgment of the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose polo shirts, bottoms and headwear.
Scene Particulars
The court members were guided around three-quarters of a mile along the beach to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were uncovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the vehicle had been parked.
The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Context of the Case
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, three children and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested years after, the state said.
State Case
It is claimed that the defendant, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.
Those items were taken by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was found secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that DNA obtained from a object at the location was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the public.
The court has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has argued.
Defence Stance
"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.
The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."
He also hinted at testimony to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.
Additional Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an initial 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.
Images showing the witness on a walk with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.
The case will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.