Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Case Visits Beach Where Victim Was Discovered

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

Members of the jury overseeing a widely publicized Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was multiple times stabbed with a sharp object and placed in a shallow resting place with minimal chance of survival, the jury has heard.

Her body were discovered by a family member the next day on Wangetti Beach – a section of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates attended the beach along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and temperatures above 30C, the judge opted for a T-shirt, sport shorts and sneakers rather than traditional court attire.

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

Scene Particulars

The court members were led around three-quarters of a mile north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's body were uncovered.

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers indicated where the victim's car had been parked.

The trip was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no testimony was given.

Background of the Trial

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and relatives.

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

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

Prosecution Case

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

The pharmacy worker was found wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions absent.

Those items were removed by the killer to conceal evidence, prosecutors allege.

Her dog, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, 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 evidence – though indirect – was made up of proof that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will involve evidence that genetic material recovered from a object at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have come from Mr Singh than a unrelated individual of the population.

The court has previously been told testimony suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the scene after the killing – and that its travel matched those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was arranging... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is yet to provided testimony, but in his initial statement, the defense attorney the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence 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 fled in terror – something he said was his "gravest error."

The defense attorney has also said he will testify about other people "both known and unknown" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Testimony

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom police excluded as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.

The trial heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's father about whether he was involved in his partner's disappearance, prior to her body were discovered.

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a companion on the day Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an expert saying he was certain the photos were authentic and had not been altered in any manner.

The trial will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on Tuesday.

Alyssa Silva
Alyssa Silva

Elara is an experienced editor and novelist passionate about helping new writers find their voice and navigate the publishing world.