Sadistic handwritten notes Dexter-obsessed serial killer wrote have been revealed in court

Ahead of his sentencing, which could see James Desborough locked behind bars for the rest of his life, prosecutors revealed the chilling handwritten notes he wrote amidst dismembering his victims.

Last year, the 40-year-old father of one killed Claudio Aquilino, 57, and Daniel Coleman, 43, before dismembering and hiding their bodies in Cornwall. He then strangled his prison cellmate Steven Kempster at HMP Exeter, for which he’s already been handed a life sentence.

This week, a jury found James guilty of killing the two homeless men in 2025 after just three hours and 15 minutes of deliberation. He’s now awaiting sentencing.

James Desborough wrote lots of handwritten notes

Victim Claudio Aquilino. Credit: Devon and Cornwall police

During the initial investigation into the grisly deaths of Claudio and Daniel, police uncovered a stack of handwritten notes.

In one such note, James admitted “I know I am a killer and ready to execute any predators”, adding in another: “Take care of the remaining muppets.”

Other notes are incoherent, with one reading: “Bodies Buried deep in ancient roots. Memory Shoots of Organic data. Because then I remember. They don’t like it when I rember. All the hate from years of mental torcher, Battling my demons. Whats wrong to right who to believe. I’ve seen you through the dark nights. Your Visible in light. Of your secret sins. BARE Top Killer primal in elements.”

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Amongst the notes was a diagram showing five circles and various landmarks. Sticker Woods was in the middle, places like London and Benidorm in the outer circles, and they were described as “kill zones” and “operational spheres.”

Credit: Facebook

Another note was seemingly a shopping list of some kind, with items including a Mac & Cheese Mugshot, an Airbnb, hair dye, curry and boiled eggs, yum yum tum, SIM cards and a burner, lunchbox, a little carry on, Veet, Pot Noodles, an axe, matches, and a dustpan. Some of the items were starred, and the word “WATCH!” was written in capital letters.

In the portion of another note shared in court, which began with “signs from above”, he wrote: “I see Earth as a flat game board, I see points of movement around the world, Crossings, street corners. I have a patch as I can imagine getting higher and higher I see modes of transport acting like arteries to a mortal machine. I’m a cog in a new machine.”

During the investigation, James Desborough told a forensic expert that he “particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes” in the serial killer show Dexter.

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Featured image credit: Devon and Cornwall police