Rajwinder Singh, an Indian-origin former geriatric nurse, has been found guilty in the second trial for the 2018 murder of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley at Wangetti Beach near Cairns, Queensland. Toyah Cordingley was murdered on October 21, 2018, at Wangetti Beach north of Cairns, Queensland, while walking her dog.
Method of Murder
She suffered at least 26 stab wounds from a sharp instrument during a brutal attack, including her throat being slashed, before her body was partially buried in a shallow sandy grave with little chance of survival. Her dog, Indie, was found alive but tightly tied to a nearby tree about 30 meters away.
Rajwinder Singh’s Connection
Singh, a 41-year-old Indian-origin former nurse living in Innisfail (two hours south), was linked by circumstantial evidence: DNA on a stick at the burial site (3.8 billion times more likely his than a random person’s), his blue Alfa Romeo matching Cordingley’s phone pings moving away from the beach post-attack, and his flight to India the next day without goodbyes to family. Justice Crowley called it an opportunistic killing, possibly after Cordingley confronted Singh over indecent activity.
Another version reported was that Rajwinder had had a fight at home that morning and had left home in anger to go for a walk on the beach where Toyha Cordingly was also walking her dog. Some reports speculated that her dog started barking at Rajwinder who got irate and the argument ensued leading to physical fight ending in Rajwinder attacking her with a knife.
A day after the murder he fled to India where he had been in hiding until the Queensland Police Service (QPS) announced a reward of $1m for his whereabouts. According to sources, Rajwinder had been avoiding apprehension in the Punjab region in India since travelling to Amritsar on 23 October, 2018.
After more than 19 months month’s wait and no progress, on 3 November, 2022, a $1 million reward was announced by QPS and Police Minister Mark Ryan for information leading to the arrest of this man.
And exactly 3 weeks later, Rajwinder was arrested.
Rajwinder’s Decision to come back
In an official statement to the Delhi District Court in January, Rajwinder said he wanted to be extradited as soon as possible to contest the charge.
He had reportedly told news agency AAP “I did not kill the woman”.
“I want to go back. It is the (Indian) judicial system that has been holding things up.”
He was flown into Melbourne and then by a charter flight he was flown to Queensland and was charged with the murder of Toyah Conrdingley.
Two Trial Proceedings
Rajwinder’s first trial took place in March this year and returned a hung verdict. His four-week retrial at Cairns Supreme Court began in late November 2025. The jury deliberated about seven hours before convicting Singh on December 8, 2025. Prosecutors relied on circumstantial evidence like DNA on a stick (3.8 billion times more likely Singh’s), his vehicle’s proximity to Cordingley’s phone activity, and his flight to India post-murder. Justice Lincoln Crowley summed up the case on December 4, noting no motive was needed for guilt.
Sentencing and Impact
On December 9, 2025, Singh received life imprisonment with a 25-year non-parole period for the “violent, brutal, opportunistic” stabbing (at least 26 times), where Cordingley fought back before her throat was slashed. Victim impact statements from parents Vanessa Gardiner and Troy Cordingley highlighted lifelong grief; her partner Marco Heidenreich was cleared of defense insinuations.
Rajwinder Singh will be eligible for parole in 2048.
According to reports, Rajwinder Singh, showed no remorse.