Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Homicide Case Tours Shoreline At Which Victim Was Discovered

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

Members of the jury overseeing a high-profile Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was located.

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

The remains were discovered by her father the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of coastline between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

The accused, 41, denies murdering Ms Cordingley on a weekend in October 2018 in northern Australia.

Jury Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three back-up jurors visited the location along with the presiding officer and legal counsel on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a acknowledgment of the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a casual top, sport shorts and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Details

The jurors were led around 1.2km north up the sand to observe where Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered.

Earlier, as they traveled to the site, several markers indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The trip was intended to help the jurors become acquainted with key locations in the case and no official evidence was presented.

Background of the Case

Last week, the Cairns Supreme Court heard that the day after Ms Cordingley's remains were found, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and relatives.

He was not heard from until he was apprehended years after, the state said.

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with barristers and other personnel at Wangetti Beach.

State Argument

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

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with her attire and most of her possessions missing.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a tree hidden 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 evidence – though circumstantial – was comprised proof that pointed to Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's phone left the beach after the incident – and that its travel corresponded with those of a vehicle belonging to the accused.

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

Defense Stance

"While authorities were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," the prosecutor said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is yet to provided testimony, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his client as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the unfortunate moment."

He also hinted at evidence to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed assailants assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away 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 suspicion.

Additional Testimony

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

The court heard he was an initial person of interest – and that he had been interrogated from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was implicated in his girlfriend's disappearance, even before her body were found.

Photographs depicting Mr Heidenreich on a walk with a companion on the date Ms Cordingley disappeared have been presented to the jury, with an specialist saying he was certain the pictures were genuine and had not been altered in any manner.

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

Colleen Lozano
Colleen Lozano

Automotive enthusiast and dome expert with over a decade of experience in custom car modifications and accessory reviews.