Jury in Prominent Australian Homicide Trial Visits Beach Where Deceased Was Found
Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the victim was discovered.
The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the court has been told.
The remains were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in northern Australia.
Court Inspection to Crime Scene
The panel of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week in Queensland.
In a nod to the hot climate and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.
Both the prosecuting and defence barristers chose polo shirts, shorts and headwear.
Scene Details
The jurors were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.
Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.
The trip was intended to help the panel become acquainted with important sites in the trial and no official evidence was presented.
Background of the Trial
Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.
He was out of contact until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.
State Argument
It is alleged that the defendant, 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 missing.
Those objects were removed by the killer to avoid detection, prosecutors allege.
Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was found secured to a tree concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.
No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been identified.
But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."
This will include testimony that DNA obtained from a object at the location was extremely more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.
The jury has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device left the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.
Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also pointed to his involvement, the state has claimed.
Defence Position
"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.
The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."
He also foreshadowed testimony to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."
Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.
Additional Evidence
Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom police quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence previously.
The court was informed he was an initial police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her body were discovered.
Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.
The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courthouse on the next day.
