A 2018 murder case that shocked Australia has finally ended in a guilty verdict. On Monday, a jury in Queensland’s Supreme Court found Rajwinder Singh, an Indian-origin former nurse, guilty of murdering 24-year-old Australian woman Toyah Cordingley. The victim had gone missing during a morning walk with her dog; her body was found on Wangetti Beach, partially buried in sand dunes. Investigators concluded she had been stabbed multiple times and her throat was cut.
Singh fled to India the day after the murder and remained at large for over four years. His arrest in November 2022, near Delhi, came after Australian authorities offered a record AU$ 1 million reward for information about his whereabouts.
The gruesome details and path to justice
According to the verdict, Singh attacked Cordingley while she was walking her dog. The jury unanimously found that he stabbed her at least 26 times, then slit her throat before fleeing.
At the moment the verdict was read, the victim’s father, overcome with grief, shouted: “Rot in hell, you bastard”.
Key to the conviction were multiple pieces of evidence including DNA, cellphone records, CCTV footage and vehicle tracking that linked Singh’s blue Alfa Romeo to the victim’s last known movements.
Flight, extradition and delayed trial
The day after killing Cordingley, Singh flew from Australia to India. He left behind a wife and three children. For years he lived in hiding, reportedly in Punjab. Australian police, backed by Interpol alerts and public tip-offs, tracked him using the international reward. He was eventually arrested from a Sikh gurdwara near New Delhi in 2022.
Extradited to Australia in early 2023, Singh’s first trial ended in a hung jury. A retrial concluded this month, after which the jury delivered a guilty verdict following three weeks of testimony from more than 80 witnesses and forensic evidence behind closed doors.
Sentencing arguments are expected soon, and observers say the court may impose life imprisonment given the severity of the crime.
Why the verdict matters now
The case had drawn wide attention over the past seven years. Cordingley’s murder had triggered public outrage, especially after it emerged she had vanished while walking her dog -- a stark reminder of the vulnerability many women face, even in daylight.
With the conviction of Singh, many feel the long wait for justice has finally ended, though for Cordingley’s family, the loss remains irreparable.
The court’s decision may serve as a grim reminder that even after fleeing halfway across the globe, perpetrators can still be held accountable when law enforcement, international cooperation and persistent investigations align.
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