James Desborough was found guilty at Winchester Crown Court of the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, whose bodies were dismembered and hidden in woodland in Cornwall last year.
The Murders
Desborough, 40, murdered Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman in Cornwall and hid their remains in Sticker woods. The ex-builder was already behind bars for strangling fellow inmate Steven Kempster at HMP Exeter. Now branded a serial killer, Desborough killed three men in just five months and showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out. The trial heard that Mr Aquilino and Mr Coleman had previously lived with Desborough at a homeless hostel, and the last time they were both seen alive was in his company.
After their disappearances, the powerfully-built Desborough, who is 5ft 10in and weighs nearly 18st, went on to spend their money on drugs and alcohol. Their bodies were dismembered in an area of Sticker Woods, near St Austell, where Desborough lived in a wooden cabin. Police discovered deposited in a stream 1,900 burned bone fragments from the body of Mr Aquilino. Parts of Mr Coleman’s body, including his torso, legs and feet, were found in a shallow grave nearby.
Dexter Obsession
Desborough told a forensic biologist who was searching the woods for Mr Coleman’s body that he “particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes” in the television series Dexter. Police found several handwritten notes inside Desborough’s cabin, including one headed: “Bug out list” and another: “Hostiles”. Among the notes were one which said: “I know I am a killer and ready to execute any predators” and another that said: “Take care of the remaining muppets,” with Mr Coleman’s name also listed. Desborough also drew a series of concentric circles with Sticker Woods in the centre, and London and Benidorm listed at the outer point, which was entitled: “Kill Zone”, and the sub-heading: “Operational spheres”.
Trial Testimony
Desborough denied both murders and told the jury it was a “series of unfortunate circumstances” the two men died on his land within a short space of time. He maintained he had found Mr Aquilino hanging dead from a tree while high on ketamine, and that Mr Coleman helped dispose of the body. Desborough said Mr Coleman calmed him down and convinced him to dispose of the body and carry on using Mr Aquilino’s bank card. “The idea was to cover up the death, carry on using his card. I’m not proud of it, it was like dangling the carrot,” he said. “I was homeless, jobless, I had no money and addiction problems.” He also denied murdering Mr Coleman, insisting he found him dead in a stream and dismembered him with an axe to avoid suspicion. He accepted spending their money on beer and drugs, but told jurors: “They were friends, I got on well with them.”
Desborough, of Old Oak Woods, Lower Sticker, Cornwall, had previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of the two men’s bodies. He also killed his prison cellmate Steven Kempster while awaiting trial, adding to his toll.
