Fan of TV serial killer 'Dexter' murdered his two ex-roommates before dismembering and burying their bodies in 'shallow grave' near cabin in the woods, court hears

Fan of TV serial killer 'Dexter' murdered his two ex-roommates before dismembering and burying their bodies in 'shallow grave' near cabin in the woods, court hears - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source A fan of TV serial killer 'Dexter' murdered two men he met at a residence for homeless people before dismembering and burning their bodies in a Cornish woodland, a court has heard. James Desborough is accused of murdering Claudio Aquilino, 57, on a date between April 17 and July 7 last year and Daniel Coleman, 43, between June 2 and July 7 last year. The 40-year-old allegedly chopped up the bodies of two of his acquaintances into 'pieces of flesh' before leaving them in shallow graves by a stream in secluded woodland in Sticker, Cornwall. Ahmed Hossain KC, prosecuting, told the court police discovered 1,900 burnt bone fragments believed to be from the body of Mr Aquilino in Paramoor woods, where Desborough lived in a cabin. A police diver found a 'piece of flesh' belonging to Mr Aquilino in the stream and a search party found 'two pieces of unburnt scapula', it was also heard. It was heard that Desborough attempted to burn their bodies and hide them in a 'shallow grave' in a stream to hide the fact that they were dead. James Desborough, 40, allegedly chopped up the bodies of two of his acquaintances before burying the remains The remains of Daniel Coleman, 43, were discovered in remote woodland near Sticker, Cornwall, last July The body of Claudio Aquilino, 57, was also found Mr Aquilino's bank card was used by Desborough to take a train to London to try and pretend Mr Aquilino was still alive, but the card was found in the roof of his cabin, the court heard. Ahmed Hossain KC, prosecuting, also told the court James Desborough wrote in his notebook that he was a 'killer' prior to allegedly murdering his two former roommates. Desborough's cabin was searched by police and notebooks were found, with one containing a list of 'hostiles' - which included Mr Coleman. A note was found in one of the notebooks in Desborough's cabin which said: 'I know I am a killer and ready to execute any predators.' He also mentioned a 'kill zone' and plans he had to leave the country. A handwriting expert confirmed that the notes were written by Desborough, but were an attempted forgery. The trio met at a shared accommodation block called Sandy Lodge for people with addiction issues in Newquay, Cornwall. Desborough, who denies murder, sat in the dock at Winchester Crown Court today wearing a grey T-shirt with a beard and glasses. He has previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful burial of Mr Coleman and Mr Aquilino. Ahmed Hossain KC, prosecuting, said Desborough was a fan of the hit TV show Dexter - in which the lead character is a serial killer who dismembers people. Mr Hossain KC said: 'In 2025 Mr Desborough murdered Daniel Coleman and Claudio Aquilino. 'Parts of the dismembered bodies were found by police search teams in an area of woodland which is where Mr Desborough lived. 'That area was called Paramoor Woods and it is near a village called Sticker in Cornwall. 'Both of these men, Daniel Coleman and Claudio Aquilino, had lived with Mr Desborough at a place called Sandy Lodge which is a multi-occupancy residence in Newquay. 'That place housed people who were often handling or suffering with addiction issues. 'These two men were last seen alive in the company of Desborough. After each of them disappeared their bank accounts were accessed and their money was spent by Desborough. 'He killed them, dismembered their bodies and attempted to burn and bury their remains to conceal what he had done. 'Then he used their money while at the same time lying to those around him about where they had gone.' A picture of the axe found hanging from a tree branch near the grave of Daniel Coleman. DNA taken from the axe, showed it was a billion times more likely to belong to Desborough and Mr Coleman than a third party James Desborough (pictured) is accused of murdering Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman The remains were found near Desborough's cabin in Paramoor Woods (pictured), near Sticker in Cornwall Mr Hossain confirmed that scientific analysis, text messages, bank statements and CCTV footage will be used as evidence in the seven-week trial. He explained that Mr Aquilino had 'long-standing addiction issues' and had 'little stability' in his life. However he did call his mother in Italy almost everyday and had 'strong family ties'. Mr Aquilino lived at Sandy Lodge between January 9, 2025 and April 11, 2025, but was kicked out for stealing another resident's phone, the court heard. Desborough left Sandy Lodge three days before Mr Aquilino. On April 17, the last day that Mr Aquilino was seen alive, the court heard he called the police as he was 'frightened' by Desborough because he had a crow bar and an axe, and was intent on damaging a hotel as he was in 'kamikaze' mode. Desborough's phone was switched off between April 16 and April 22, which the prosecution claimed was not a 'coincidence'. Prior to his death, the court heard that Mr Aquilino had a 'consistent pattern' of spending, yet this stopped after April 18 and cash withdrawals began being taken from his bank account. However on June 24, Desborough took a train from Cornwall to Paddington in London, paid for on Mr Aquilino's card. When he arrived in Paddington he walked around for two-and-a-half hours and then returned home which he did to 'create a suggestion that Mr Aquilino was still alive'. Mr Hossain continued: 'On August 8, 2025, during a search of Mr Desborough's cabin, Claudio Aquilino's bank card and sim card were found concealed. 'The sim card was concealed under the floor and the bank card in the roof of the cabin. 'In a metal tin the police found a sim card that was actually registered to Claudio Aquilino. 'Ladies and gentlemen it was in July last year that the police began searching Paramoor Woods. 'Initially they were looking for Daniel Coleman who was reported as a missing person. 'But in August they were searching in a stream that ran close to Mr Desborough's cabin. They were looking in the surrounding area of the stream. 'There they found over 1,900 burnt bone fragments. Roots in the banks of the stream had fragments. 'DNA analysis confirmed that the DNA that had been found was left from Claudio Aquilino's body. 'You're going to hear that the second victim's body was found dismembered in a shallow grave a little bit away from Mr Desborough's cabin. 'You are going to hear that about 18 metres down stream was the grave that the second victim was in, the police diver discovered a piece of flesh which was forensically linked to Claudio Aquilino. 'The search continued in October 2025 when the search party found two pieces of unburnt scapula.' He continued: 'An axe was found hanging from a tree branch near the grave of Daniel Coleman. It was next to the shallow grave.' Police photographs of a pathway in the woodland near Sticker which appeared to have been concealed by cut branches. It is alleged the branches were moved there after the murders Mr Hossain confirmed that after DNA was taken from the axe, it is a billion times more likely that the DNA found belonged to Desborough and Mr Coleman rather than a third party. The court also heard that on June 4, the day after Desborough allegedly killed Daniel Coleman, he sent a text to a friend where he described himself as 'bloodthirsty' and said that the 'coast is clear'. On June 26, he texted another friend explaining that he had plans to leave the country and was going to 'pack up and f*** off'. Prosecutor Ahmed Hossain said: 'I would say that that message is a deliberate lie that is designed to disguise concern about a man who he knew was dead and his dismembered body was lying in a grave in his woods.' The woods around Desborough's property were later searched by a team of experts where it was found that a concealed path had been built in the aftermath of the alleged murder. Mr Hossain said: 'There was a concealed path that ran alongside the stream through the woodland. 'Coming from the pile of logs was a smell of decomposing bodies. 'Birch tree branches had been taken from a fallen tree. These branches had been arranged in a naturalistic manner.' Initially when a forensic biologist approached Desborough's land he said he did not mind him searching, but he later reappeared more aggressively asking 'what are you doing?' Signs of shovelling were found on Desborough's land and 40 logs were removed, while a shallow trench 25 to 30cm deep and 40 to 50cm wide was found. Beneath the pile of logs the sternum of Mr Coleman was found. As the investigation continued, parts of Mr Coleman's skull, femur, vertebrae and other skeletal remains were found. Analysis of Mr Coleman's body found that nine cuts had been made. Mr Hossain said: 'The bony margins at the points of the cuts that had been made were described as being done neatly, cleanly and with a straight edge.' The evidence is that they were 'consistent with a substantial cleaver or more likely an axe.' Further evidence found that Mr Coleman's genitalia were absent, which experts said could be down to decomposition but 'removal was a possibility'. The trial continues.