Port, having already killed Anthony Walgate in June 2014 (and received a suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice in that investigation), attempted to disguise the subsequent deaths.
Forensic tests were not done on items found with the bodies, including the "suicide note" and a bedsheet, which were later found to have Port's DNA.
Stephen Port, a chef living in Barking, used dating apps (particularly Grindr and Fitlads) to lure young men to his flat, where he drugged them with fatal doses of the date-rape drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate). gabriel-and-daniel-case
Families of the victims argued the police response was influenced by homophobia, pointing to dismissive attitudes when loved ones raised concerns about links between the deaths.
Despite the similarities—both victims were young gay men, both were found in the same spot, both died of GHB overdoses, and both had their mobile phones missing—police treated the deaths as "unexplained" rather than suspicious. Inquest Findings and Police Failings Port, having already killed Anthony Walgate in June
The coroner found that "fundamental failings" by the Metropolitan Police probably contributed to three of the four deaths.
The deaths of Kovari and Whitworth, along with Walgate and the final victim, Jack Taylor, were subject to a series of inquests that concluded in December 2021. The inquest findings were scathing: Families of the victims argued the police response
A forged suicide note was placed on Daniel Whitworth's body. The note claimed that Whitworth had accidentally killed Gabriel Kovari while having sex and had decided to take his own life out of guilt.