Fan of serial killer TV show guilty of double murder

A man has been found guilty of murdering two men he lived with in a homeless shelter - after being convicted of killing his cellmate while on remand.

James Desborough, 40 - a fan of TV serial killer programme Dexter - killed Daniel Coleman, 43, and Claudio Aquilino, 57, in Cornwall last summer.

Following his arrest, while he was on remand at HMP Exeter, Desborough also killed his cellmate Steven Kempster, 65, by strangling him to death. He was found guilty of that murder in March.

Desborough has now been found guilty of killing Mr Coleman and Mr Aquilino following a trial at Winchester Crown Court, and will be sentenced on Wednesday.

During the trial, jurors were told about his conviction for Kempster's murder.

The bodies of Mr Coleman and Mr Aquilino were found dismembered and burnt in a remote wood near where Desborough lived in a cabin. The three men had previously lived together in a homeless shelter in Newquay.

The court heard that the remains of both men were found by police in Paramoor Woods, near Sticker, during searches.

More than 1,900 burnt bone fragments and a shallow grave containing a torso, legs and feet were discovered.

Jurors were told that while officers searched the woods, Desborough told a forensic biologist he "particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes" in the show Dexter, about a police ballistics expert who lives a double life committing murders and disposing of the bodies around Miami.

During the trial, Ahmed Hossain KC, prosecuting, told jurors: "In 2025, James Desborough murdered Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman. While he was awaiting this trial, he murdered his cellmate Steven Kempster for annoying him.

"These three explosions of fatal violence took place in less than six months."

Along with the bodies, police found several handwritten notes inside Desborough's cabin.

One of them read "I know I am a killer and ready to execute any predators", and another said: "Take care of the remaining muppets."

Desborough also made plans to leave the UK weeks before he was arrested.

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He killed Mr Aquilino, who had addictions to drugs and gambling, shortly after he was last seen alive in April 2025.

On 4 June of the same year, Desborough murdered Mr Coleman before dismembering him with an axe and burying the remains.

He accepted he spent their money on beer and drugs, but previously denied both murders and told jurors: "They were friends, I got on well with them."

While on remand at HMP Exeter on 15 September, Desborough strangled Mr Kempster.

He previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of the two men's bodies.

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley, head of Devon and Cornwall Police's major crime investigation team, said the murders were "callous and cold-blooded".

She said: "Both men were vulnerable and trusted James Desborough as their friend.

"Desborough not only brutally murdered both men, but then savagely desecrated their bodies, seeking to hide the evidence of his crimes. In doing so, he denied both men of dignity and their families of the opportunity to say goodbye.

"Desborough then set about spending their money and also sought to lay a false trail for detectives to follow."

(c) Sky News 2026: Fan of serial killer TV show guilty of double murder