Panel of Jurors in High-Profile Down Under Murder Case Tours Beach Where Deceased Was Discovered

Jurors overseeing a widely publicized Australian murder trial have been taken to the isolated shore where the young woman was discovered.

Toyah Cordingley was repeatedly attacked with a bladed weapon and placed in a shallow resting place with little or no chance of survival, the court has been told.

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

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

Court Visit to Crime Scene

The jury of 10 men and two women plus three alternates visited the location along with the presiding officer and barristers on Monday morning local time.

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

Both the prosecuting and defense attorneys selected polo shirts, bottoms and baseball caps.

Location Particulars

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

Upon arrival, as they arrived by bus, several red and white cones indicated where the vehicle had been parked.

The visit was intended to help the panel become familiar with important sites in the trial and no testimony was presented.

Context of the Case

Last week, the court heard that the following day Ms Cordingley's remains were discovered, the accused departed from Australia to India – leaving behind his spouse, family and parents.

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

State Argument

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

The victim was found wearing a bikini, with all her other clothes and belongings missing.

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

Her pet, Indie, which Ms Cordingley had brought along for a walk, was found tied up to a post concealed in bushland about 100 feet from the burial site.

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

But the state says the crown's case – though indirect – was made up of findings that indicated Mr Singh "excluding other suspects."

This will include evidence that genetic material recovered from a stick at the scene was 3.8 billion times more probable to have originated from Mr Singh than a random member of the population.

The court has already heard evidence suggesting that Ms Cordingley's mobile device 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 suggested his involvement, the prosecution has claimed.

Defence Position

"While authorities were finding Toyah's remains, he was organizing... a rushed single journey back to India," Mr Crane said last week as he opened his case.

The defense is has not provided testimony, but in his initial statement, Mr Singh's barrister the lawyer described his defendant as a "placid" and "caring" man, who was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

He also hinted at testimony to come later in the trial that, after his arrest, Mr Singh informed an plainclothes agent he had witnessed two masked men assault Ms Cordingley and then had fled in terror – something he said was his "biggest mistake."

Mr McGuire has also said he will testify about other people "identified and unidentified" who should come under suspicion.

Additional Evidence

Ms Cordingley's partner, Marco Heidenreich, whom authorities quickly ruled out as a person of interest, was among those who gave evidence previously.

The trial heard he was an immediate police suspect – and that he had faced questions from Ms Cordingley's parent about whether he was involved in his girlfriend's vanishing, prior to her remains were discovered.

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

The trial will resume to the standard environment of the courthouse on Tuesday.