Police reviewing deaths of four people who lived with serial killer - as he gets whole life order

Police are reviewing the deaths of four people who shared a homeless shelter with convicted triple murderer James Desborough.

The 40-year-old has been sentenced today to a whole life order for the murder of two men he previously lived with at a homeless hostel in Newquay, Cornwall. This means he will never be released.

Their bodies were dismembered and hidden in woodland.

James Desborough - who said he was a fan of serial killer show Dexter - murdered Daniel Coleman, 43, and Claudio Aquilino, 57, last summer.

He's already serving a life sentence for strangling his prison cellmate, Steven Kempster, while waiting for his trial because he was irritated by his snoring.

Desborough was found guilty of that murder in March.

Police revealed they are reviewing the unexplained deaths of two men and two women who were at the homeless shelter while he was there, between December 2024 and April 2025.

Detective Superintendent Rachael Bentley said they currently don't believe Desborough is a suspect but the investigation into the deaths at Sandy Lodge Hotel is ongoing with "some final reviews to be done".

Officers attended each of the deaths at the time and inquiries suggested natural causes.

However, the coroner paused its investigation when Desborough was arrested for murder and a review began that included extra forensic work, looking at CCTV and taking statements.

"I said before there's no other information that's come into the investigation that suggests that he's linked to any of the deaths," said DS Bentley.

"We don't believe we're looking for any victims, but I do want to stress that the investigations are ongoing. They are going to be reviewed again now the trial has concluded."

Desborough, who weights nearly 18st, killed Coleman and Aquilino and spent their money on drink and drugs.

He claimed they had left Cornwall but their bodies were found in Sticker Woods, near St Austell, where Desborough lived in a wooden cabin.

Some 1,900 burned bone fragments from Mr Aquilino were also discovered in a stream.

Parts of Mr Coleman's body were found in a shallow grave. His genitals have never been found and police haven't ruled out they may have been deliberately removed.

Prosecutors said Desborough was jealous of Mr Coleman because he had developed a sexual interest in his friend's ex-wife.

The killer also told a forensic biologist he "particularly enjoyed the dismemberment scenes" in TV series Dexter.

The father-of-one denied the murders and told the jury it was a "series of unfortunate circumstances" the two men died on his land within a short space of time.

(c) Sky News 2026: Police reviewing deaths of four people who lived with serial killer - as he gets whole life order