James Desborough, 40, who strangled his prison cellmate for snoring while awaiting trial for murdering two homeless men, will die behind bars. The former builder killed Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, weeks apart in Cornwall last year, then throttled his cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, at HMP Exeter.
Details of the murders
Prosecutor Ahmed Hossain KC told Winchester Crown Court that police discovered 1,900 burned bone fragments believed to be from Mr Aquilino in Paramoor Woods, Sticker, where Desborough lived in a cabin. Parts of Mr Coleman’s dismembered body, including his torso, legs and feet, were found in a shallow grave nearby. Desborough used their bank accounts and spent their money on drugs and alcohol after their disappearances.
Mr Hossain said: ‘In 2025, James Desborough murdered Daniel Coleman and Claudio Aquilino. Parts of their dismembered bodies were found by police search teams and scientists when searching an area of woodland which was where James Desborough lived. Both of these men, Daniel Coleman and Claudio Aquilino, had lived with Mr Desborough at a place called Sandy Lodge, which was a multi-occupancy residence in Newquay. After each of them disappeared, their bank accounts were accessed and their money was spent by James Desborough.’
Desborough’s writings and plans
Police found handwritten notes inside his cabin, including one headed ‘Bug out list’ and another ‘Hostiles’. In neat handwriting, Desborough wrote: ‘I know I’m a killer, ready to kill and execute any predators.’ He also drew a series of concentric circles with Sticker Woods in the centre, entitled ‘Kill Zone’, with the sub-heading ‘Operational spheres’. Desborough had made plans to leave the UK weeks before his arrest.
Further investigations
Detectives are now investigating whether Desborough may have been responsible for more killings, with a review underway into the deaths of four people who lived at a homeless shelter at the same time as him. The father-of-one denied both murders and told the jury it was a ‘series of unfortunate circumstances’. He had previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of the two men’s bodies.
