Rajwinder Singh convicted of murdering Toyah Cordingley in 2018

Former nurse Rajwinder Singh has been found guilty of murdering Cairns woman Toyah Cordingley, whose body was discovered buried on a remote Far North Queensland beach in 2018.

A Supreme Court jury in Cairns determined that Singh, 41, stabbed Ms Cordingley and cut her throat at Wangetti Beach before fleeing to India, where he remained for four years.

Ms Cordingley, a 24-year-old animal shelter volunteer, had gone to the beach on October 21, 2018, to walk her dog Indie. Her father, Troy Cordingley, discovered her body the next morning after an overnight search. Indie was found alive, tied to a tree nearby.

The unanimous verdict came after about seven hours of deliberation at the end of Singh's four-week retrial, held eight months after his first trial ended in a hung jury. The verdict prompted emotional reactions in the public gallery, including an outburst from Ms Cordingley's father, while Singh remained still in the dock.

Ms Cordingley's death sparked widespread grief across Far North Queensland, prompting marches against violence toward women and bumper stickers calling for justice.

The retrial began on November 10, with more than 80 witnesses giving evidence over three weeks. The court will return on Tuesday morning for sentencing submissions.