Panel of Jurors in Prominent Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Shoreline At Which Deceased Was Discovered

Wangetti Beach scene
The body of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded coastline in Far North Queensland in 2018.

Jurors involved in a widely publicized Queensland homicide case have traveled to the remote shore where the young woman was located.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times stabbed with a bladed weapon and buried in a shallow grave with minimal hope of surviving, the jury has heard.

The remains were found by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline nestled between the tourist centres of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies killing Ms Cordingley on a Sunday afternoon in October 2018 in Far North Queensland.

Court Inspection to Beach

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

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than traditional court attire.

Both the lead prosecution and defense attorneys chose casual shirts, shorts and headwear.

Location Details

The court members were guided around 1.2km along the beach to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they traveled to the site, four markers showed where the victim's car had been left.

The visit was designed to help the jurors become familiar with important sites in the case and no official evidence was given.

Context of the Case

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

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

Court officials at the beach
The judge with legal representatives and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Case

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a bikini, with her attire and belongings missing.

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

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, 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 found.

But the state says the evidence – though circumstantial – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include testimony that genetic material obtained 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 population.

The jury has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Position

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said previously as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in terror – 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.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The trial heard he was an initial police suspect – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her remains were discovered.

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

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

George Cooper
George Cooper

A seasoned gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in online casinos and strategy development.