Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Case Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered
Jurors overseeing a high-profile Australian homicide case have been taken to the isolated shore where the victim was located.
Toyah Cordingley was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.
Her body were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Jury Visit to Beach
The panel of 12 individuals plus several alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, athletic wear and trainers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, shorts and headwear.
Location Particulars
The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones showed where the victim's car had been left.
The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the case and no testimony was given.
Context of the Trial
Previously, the court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was apprehended four years later, the state said.
Prosecution Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, near Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.
The victim was discovered wearing a bikini, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.
Those items were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.
Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found tied up to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the state says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will involve evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the scene was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the scene after the killing – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the defendant.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his guilt, the prosecution has claimed.
Defense Stance
"While authorities were discovering Toyah's body, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.
The defence is yet to present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister 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 testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, 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 testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.
Further Testimony
Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who testified last week.
The trial heard he was an immediate person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's vanishing, even before her remains were discovered.
Photographs 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 confident the pictures were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.
The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.