Jury discharged in high-profile Australia beach murder
A jury was fired after a former nurse was accused of murdering a woman on a remote Australian beach because they could not rule.
Toyah Cordingley is At least 26 stabs Go out walking dog in October 2018.
The 24-year-old body was discovered by her father, half burned in sand dunes at Wangetti Beach, between tourist hotspots in Cairns and Port Douglas.
Rajwinder SinghAt 40, he traveled to India the day after discovering Ms. Kodingly’s body was charged with murder. He was arrested, Then extraditioned to Australia In 2023.
But the Keynes Supreme Court jurors said they were already deadlocked and that after two and a half days of deliberation, his guilt could not reach a consensus decision. Under Queensland law, jury judgments in murders must be unanimous.
This means Mr Singh may face another trial.
Singh originally came from Buttar Kalan, Punjab, India, who had been living in Innisfail during the killings, a small town about two hours from the scene of the crime.
Prosecutors said they had no motivation to kill Ms. Cordingley, a health store staff member and animal shelter volunteers — with no evidence of sexual assault.
The trial of Cairns Supreme Court heard that DNA samples taken from the victim’s right nail matched Mr Singer’s profile, and that the DNA was most likely his DNA, was also found on a stick on the grave.
Data from the cell phone tower also showed that on the day the victim disappeared, Ms. Cordingley’s phone was similar to Mr. Singh’s Blue Alfa Romeo car.
Prosecutors also hinted at Mr Singh’s hastily leaving Australia without pointing out his innocence to his family or colleagues.
Mr Singh denied the murder – and told an undercover officer that he had seen the killing and then left the country, leaving his wife and children because he was worried about his life.
His defense attorney said he was a “coward” but not a killer and accused police of a “flawed” investigation that other possible suspects could not see.
They said the DNA found on the victim’s nails was found at the scene, and her abandoned selfie stick did not match Mr Singh’s profile.
“In that cemetery, there was the DNA of an unknown person,” defense lawyer Angus Edwards told the jury.
