Jury discharged in high-profile Australia beach murder

In a significant legal case in Australia, a jury has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict in the trial of a former nurse accused of murdering a young woman named Toyah Cordingley. This tragic event took place in October 2018 when Toyah, who was just 24 years old, went for a walk on a beach with her dog. Her father discovered her body, which was partially buried in the sand dunes at Wangetti beach, a location popular among tourists visiting Cairns and Port Douglas. The accused, Mr. Singh, who is 40 years old, was charged with murder after he traveled to India the day following the discovery of Toyah's body. He was arrested and brought to trial in 2023. The trial took place at the Cairns Supreme Court, where the jury deliberated for two and a half days but ultimately could not come to a unanimous decision regarding Mr. Singh's guilt. The judge expressed gratitude to the jury for their diligence in the matter. According to Queensland law, a unanimous verdict is required in murder cases, which means that Mr. Singh will have to face another trial in the future. Mr. Singh originally hails from Buttar Kalan in Punjab, India, but was residing in Innisfail, a town located about two hours south of the crime scene, at the time of the incident. Prosecutors indicated that they did not have a clear motive for the murder of Toyah, who worked at a health store and volunteered at an animal shelter. They also stated that there was no evidence suggesting a sexual assault had occurred. During the trial, it was revealed that DNA, which was highly likely to belong to Mr. Singh, was found on a stick located in Toyah's grave. Additionally, data from mobile phone towers indicated that Toyah's phone had moved in a pattern similar to that of Mr. Singh's blue Alfa Romeo car on the day she went missing. The prosecution argued that Mr. Singh's hasty departure from Australia, without informing his family or colleagues, pointed to his potential guilt. However, Mr. Singh denied the murder charges and claimed to an undercover police officer that he had witnessed the crime but left the country out of fear for his own safety. His defense attorney described him as a coward but insisted that he was not a killer. The defense also criticized the police investigation, claiming it was flawed and did not adequately explore other possible suspects. They highlighted that DNA found at the scene, including on Toyah's discarded selfie stick, did not match Mr. Singh's DNA profile. The defense barrister, Angus Edwards, informed the jury that there was DNA from an unknown person at the grave site, suggesting that Mr. Singh might not be the perpetrator of this tragic crime.