Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Homicide Trial Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Found

Wangetti Beach scene
The remains of Toyah Cordingley were found on a secluded beach in northern Queensland back in 2018.

Jurors involved in a high-profile Australian homicide case have traveled to the remote beach where the young woman was located.

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

Her body were found by a family member the following day on Wangetti Beach – a stretch of shoreline nestled between the popular destinations of Cairns and Port Douglas.

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

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates visited the location along with the judge and legal counsel on the start of the week local time.

In a nod to the tropical conditions and sweltering heat, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, sport shorts and trainers rather than a wig and robes.

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

Scene Particulars

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

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

The visit was designed to help the panel become familiar with key locations in the trial and no official evidence was given.

Background of the Case

Previously, the Cairns Supreme Court was informed that the day after Ms Cordingley's body were discovered, the accused flew from Australia to India – leaving behind his wife, three children and parents.

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

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

State Argument

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

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

Those items were taken by the killer to conceal evidence, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had taken to the beach for a walk, was located tied up to a post concealed in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was ever recovered, and no eyewitnesses have been found.

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 object 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 previously been told testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's mobile device departed the beach after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo belonging to the accused.

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

Defence Position

"As the police were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed one way trip back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he began arguments.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed evidence to come subsequently that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh informed an undercover officer he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about individuals "identified and unidentified" who should come under investigation.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's boyfriend at the time, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities excluded as a person of interest, was one who testified previously.

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

Images showing Mr Heidenreich on a hike with a friend on the date Ms Cordingley went missing have been shown to the court, with an specialist saying he was certain the photos were genuine and had not been altered in any way.

The case will return to the more conventional setting of the courtroom on the next day.

Robert Carlson
Robert Carlson

A real estate enthusiast with over a decade of experience in Dutch rental markets, dedicated to helping people find their ideal homes.