Jury in High-Profile Australian Homicide Case Tours Shoreline Where Deceased Was Discovered

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian murder trial have traveled to the remote shore where the victim was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a sandy grave with little or no hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by her father the next day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, has pleaded not guilty to killing Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Visit to Beach

The jury of 12 individuals plus several alternates attended the location along with the judge and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Location Particulars

The jurors were guided around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to see where Ms Cordingley's body were discovered.

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

The visit was designed to help the panel become acquainted with key locations in the case and no testimony was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his wife, family and parents.

He was not heard from until he was arrested four years later, the prosecution said.

Prosecution Argument

It is claimed that the defendant, who was employed in healthcare in the community of Innisfail, south of Cairns, had a altercation with Ms Cordingley.

The pharmacy worker was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and belongings absent.

Those items were taken by the assailant to avoid detection, prosecutors contend.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a stroll, was located secured to a tree concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the grave.

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

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that genetic material obtained from a stick at the location was extremely more likely to have come from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The jury has previously been told evidence indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the incident – and that its travel matched those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defense Position

"While authorities were finding 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 the lawyer portrayed his defendant as a "placid" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will give evidence about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a possible suspect, was one who gave evidence last week.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her remains were discovered.

Images depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been presented to the jury, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been doctored in any way.

The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on the next day.