A man who is said to have told a forensic biologist he was a fan of the television drama Dexter has been found guilty of murdering two men and hiding their dismembered remains in woodland. What makes the case so disturbing is that he had already been jailed for killing the man he shared a prison cell with while waiting for this trial.
James Desborough, 40, a former construction worker and father of one, was convicted of the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43. The jury at Winchester Crown Court reached unanimous verdicts on Tuesday, July 28, after three hours and 15 minutes of deliberation.
Remains in the forest
Both men were killed in Cornwall last year, within a few weeks. Desborough lived in a wooden cabin in Sticker Woods, near St Austell, where the remains were cut up and hidden. Searchers found 1,900 burned bone fragments from Mr Aquilino in a stream. Parts of Mr Coleman’s body, including his torso, legs and feet, were buried in a shallow grave nearby.
Desborough is said to have told a forensic biologist searching for one of the victims that he admired Dexter and "enjoyed the dismemberment scenes".
Notes found in the cabin
Officers searching the cabin found several handwritten notes. One was headed "Bug out list" and another "Hostiles". One read: "I know I am a killer and ready to execute any predators."
There was also a drawing of concentric rings with Sticker Woods in the middle, titled "Kill Zone" with the subtitle "Operational spheres". The court heard that Desborough had made plans to leave the UK several weeks before he was arrested.
A story of unfortunate circumstances
Desborough denied both murders. He told the jury it was a "series of unfortunate circumstances" that two men died on his land in such a short time. He said he found Mr Aquilino, who had struggled with drug and gambling problems, hanging from a tree in May or early June while he himself was high on ketamine.
According to Desborough, Mr Coleman dismembered and burned the body alone, then persuaded him to help dispose of it in the stream and keep using the dead man’s bank card.
He also denied killing Mr Coleman in the early hours of June 4. He claimed he found him dead in a stream later that month. Worried about a second death on his land and about having Class A drugs, he said he cut up the body with an axe and buried it. He admitted spending the men’s money on beer and drugs, but told jurors: "They were friends, I got on well with them." The jury did not believe him.
Where things stand
Desborough, of Old Oak Woods, Lower Sticker, had already pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of both men’s bodies. He is also serving a life sentence for strangling Steven Kempster at HMP Exeter while in custody awaiting this trial. With the two new murder convictions, he has now been held responsible for three killings.
Image credit: Devon & Cornwall Police
Source: The Mirror US
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