Man guilty of murdering two men found in woods
Man guilty of murdering two men found in woods
Man guilty of murdering two men found in woods
A jury at Winchester Crown Court has returned unanimous guilty verdicts against James Desborough, 40, for the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, whose bodies were dismembered and hidden in woodland in Cornwall last year.
Desborough, a fan of the TV serial killer Dexter, is already serving a life sentence for strangling his prison cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, at HMP Exeter while on remand awaiting this trial. With these latest convictions, Desborough is now a serial killer, having killed three men in separate incidents over five months.
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, Desborough went on to spend their money on drugs and alcohol.
Police discovered 1,900 burned bone fragments from the body of Mr. Aquilino in a stream in Sticker Woods, near St Austell, where Desborough lived in a wooden cabin. Parts of Mr. Coleman's body, including his torso, legs, and feet, were found in a shallow grave nearby.
Desborough told a forensic biologist 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 that 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". He had also made plans to leave the UK weeks before he was arrested.
Desborough denied both murders and told the jury it was a "series of unfortunate circumstances" that the two men died on his land within a short space of time. He claimed he had found Mr. Aquilino, who had a history of suicidal ideation, hanging dead from a tree on his land in May or early June, and that his role was helping Mr. Coleman dispose of Mr. Aquilino's body in a stream.
He also denied murdering Mr. Coleman in the early hours of June 4, and instead insisted he had returned to his cabin later that month and found him lying naked, face down and dead in a stream. Desborough accepted spending their money on beer and drugs, but told jurors "They were friends, I got on well with them".
Desborough had previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of the two men's bodies. The sentencing hearing is expected to begin at 2 pm on Wednesday at Winchester Crown Court, where victim impact statements from the family of Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman are expected to be read out in court.
Desborough is already serving a life sentence with a 19-year minimum tariff for the murder of his cellmate Steven Kempster at HMP Exeter on September 15, 2025.
