Jury in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Tours Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley was discovered on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the isolated beach where the young woman was located.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

Her body were found by her father 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.

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The panel of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the beach along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning 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 a wig and robes.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, shorts and baseball caps.

Scene Particulars

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

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four red and white cones indicated where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was intended to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Trial

Previously, the court was informed that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with barristers and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

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

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

Those objects were removed by the assailant to avoid detection, the prosecution allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was found secured to a post hidden in shrubland about 100 feet 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 "and eliminated others."

This will include testimony that DNA recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more likely to have originated from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the public.

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's quick exit from Australia also suggested his involvement, the state has claimed.

Defence Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged one way trip back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, the defense attorney the lawyer described his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come subsequently that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked men attack Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

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 authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one 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 implicated in his partner's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the day Ms Cordingley disappeared have been shown to the jury, with an expert saying he was confident the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any way.

The trial will resume to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Michael Harris
Michael Harris

A Canadian lifestyle enthusiast and home decor blogger passionate about sharing practical tips and creative ideas for everyday living.