After a protracted seven-year investigation, the legal proceedings concerning the horrific murder of an Australian woman have finally concluded.

Rajwinder Singh, aged 41, was found guilty on December 8 in the Supreme Court in Cairns for the fatal stabbing of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley on a beach in Queensland, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Despite his not guilty plea, Singh, who previously worked as a hospital nurse, was convicted of murder after a four-week trial. The jury reached their decision following approximately seven hours of deliberation, according to The Guardian.

Justice Lincoln Crowley, delivering a life sentence, declared in court, “Regarding the parole eligibility, I set the period at 25 years.”

This verdict follows an earlier trial this year where the jury, after deliberating for more than three days, could not reach a unanimous decision, as noted by ABC.

After Cordingley was first reported missing around 10:50 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2018, her body was discovered around 7:45 a.m. the next day at Wangetti Beach, authorities said in one of the police’s initial statements at the time. 

In 2022, Queensland Police announced a $1 million reward for information leading to the location and arrest of Singh—an Indian national working in Australia at the time of Cordingley’s murder—who was discovered and arrested soon after by Indian Law Enforcement in New Delhi, per a press release at the time. 

“It has been a long journey, including the announcement of the reward for information, $1 million—the largest in the Queensland’s history,” Detective Inspector Sonia Smith said in the 2023 statement. “Our thoughts, and I know those of the tight-knit community of Cairns have always been and will continue to be with Toyah’s family.”

The 24-year-old victim’s father, Troy Cordingley—who discovered his daughter’s body on the beach—was heard telling Singh, “Rot in hell, you bastard,” in court following the verdict, ABC reported. 

“Today’s verdict has delivered a form of justice but for us there can never be true justice because we live in a world without Toyah,” Troy said later, per the outlet. “And the world will always be poorer for it.”