Panel of Jurors in Prominent Australian Murder Case Tours Shoreline Where Victim 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 widely publicized Queensland murder trial have traveled to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

The 24-year-old victim was multiple times attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a sandy resting place with little or no hope of surviving, the court has been told.

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

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

Jury Inspection to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus several alternates attended the beach along with the judge and barristers on Monday morning in Queensland.

In a nod to the hot climate and temperatures above 30C, Justice Lincoln Crowley wore a T-shirt, athletic wear and sneakers rather than a wig and robes.

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected casual shirts, bottoms and headwear.

Location Details

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

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several markers showed where the vehicle had been parked.

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

Background of the Case

Previously, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's body were found, Mr Singh departed from Australia to India – abandoning his spouse, family and parents.

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

Court officials at the beach
Justice Lincoln Crowley with legal representatives and other court officials at Wangetti Beach.

Prosecution Argument

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

The victim was discovered wearing a swimwear, with all her other clothes and belongings absent.

Those objects were taken by the killer to avoid detection, the prosecution contend.

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a stroll, was located tied up to a tree hidden in shrubland about 30 metres from the burial site.

The weapon was found, and no one have been identified.

But the prosecution says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "and eliminated others."

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 unrelated individual of the population.

The court has already heard testimony indicating that Ms Cordingley's phone departed the scene after the incident – and that its movements corresponded with those of a blue Alfa Romeo owned by the defendant.

Mr Singh's sudden departure from Australia also pointed to his guilt, the state has argued.

Defence Position

"As the police were discovering Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a hurriedly arranged single journey back to India," Mr Crane said previously as he opened his case.

The defence is has not present any evidence, but in his opening address, the defense attorney Greg McGuire portrayed his client as a "calm" and "compassionate" man, who was in the "incorrect location at the wrong time."

He also foreshadowed testimony to come later in the trial that, after his apprehension, Mr Singh told an undercover officer he had seen two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had run away in fear – 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 investigation.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, the witness, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a possible suspect, was one who testified previously.

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

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

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

Whitney Montoya
Whitney Montoya

A professional gambler and writer with over a decade of experience in casino games, sharing insights to help players succeed.