Jury in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Visits Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Members of the jury involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and buried in a shallow grave with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

Her body 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, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Inspection to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus three alternates visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning local time.

In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, the judge wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

The jurors were led around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

Earlier, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, three children and parents.

He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.

State Case

It is alleged that Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a confrontation with Ms Cordingley.

The victim was found wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and most of her possessions absent.

Those objects were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no one have been identified.

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has previously been told evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its movements matched those of a vehicle owned by the accused.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the prosecution has argued.

Defense Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's body, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, 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 foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had seen assailants assault 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 individuals "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Further Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who testified last week.

The court was informed he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.

Photographs showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the standard environment of the courtroom on Tuesday.