James Desborough, 40, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court in England for the murders of Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43. Their body parts were found in woods near his cabin in Sticker, a small village in Cornwall. Desborough says he did not kill them, but he has admitted to preventing their lawful burial. That means he accepts he interfered with their bodies after death. The prosecution, led by a senior barrister named Ahmed Hossain KC, says that after killing both men, Desborough used their bank accounts and tried to make it look like one had gone to London and the other was walking a long-distance trail. The Guardian

The most surprising detail shared with the jury involved something called "agreed facts." These are facts that both sides in a trial accept as true, so they do not need to be proven again. On 27 March 2026, at another court called Exeter Crown Court, Desborough was found guilty by a jury of murdering a man named Steven Kempster by strangulation on 15 September 2025. At the time, Desborough was being held in prison awaiting trial for the Aquilino and Coleman killings. He shared a prison cell with Kempster. The Crown Prosecution Service South West had announced the charge in September 2025. The Guardian · CPS South West

The three men at the centre of this case knew each other before the alleged killings. Aquilino, Coleman, and Desborough lived together for a time at a place in Newquay that helps homeless people and people with addiction problems. Aquilino, who was 57, had faced harassment he believed was racially motivated. He told police in 2022 that people he called "scouse" dealers in Callington, Cornwall, were bullying him, making him do jobs, stealing his phone, and entering his home. He said he felt safer living in a tent. Coleman, 43, had mental health problems that started after he was kidnapped at age 13 and stabbed. The Guardian

Aquilino and Coleman were last seen alive with Desborough. The murder of Aquilino is said to have happened between 17 April and 7 July 2025. ITV News Police began searching woods near Desborough's cabin in July 2025 and spent five months searching the area. They found burnt bone fragments believed to belong to Aquilino in a stream. Parts of Coleman's body, including his torso, legs, and feet, were found in a shallow grave near the cabin. An axe was hanging from a nearby tree. A bank card was also found under the decking of Desborough's property. The Guardian · BBC News

The jury was shown images of knives, saws, axes, and a ghillie suit, a type of camouflage clothing, recovered from in and around the cabin. During the police search, Desborough told a forensic biologist that he "particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes" in the TV show Dexter. Disturbing handwritten notes found in the cabin were read to the jury. Police also looked into an email address linked to a private cosmetic surgery clinic after reviewing those notes. In June 2025, Desborough had repeatedly searched online for details about cosmetic surgery in Thailand and airports there. Court testimony also showed he had argued with one of the men he is accused of murdering. The Guardian · BBC News

The way the prosecution presented the Kempster conviction matters. Because it was given to the jury as an agreed fact, the jury was told as established truth that Desborough murdered a cellmate while awaiting trial for the very killings they are now deciding. This puts the defence in a tough spot: they are fighting the murder charges for Aquilino and Coleman while a conviction for a third killing sits in front of the same jury. Desborough's admission to preventing lawful burial also narrows the argument. The real question for the jury is whether he intended to kill or cause serious harm, not whether the victims died or whether he hid their bodies.

The broader context here raises serious questions about how prisons keep people safe. Desborough was placed in a cell with Kempster while already facing accusations of two murders. Devon and Cornwall Police charged Desborough, then 39, after Kempster was found dead in his cell on 15 September 2025. The fact that someone already accused of two killings was able to kill a cellmate will likely bring scrutiny to the prison system's rules for assessing risk and deciding who shares a cell. No findings on those systemic questions have been reported yet in the current trial.

The trial continues at Winchester Crown Court.