Stephen Port, 40, is accused of poisoning the men and dumping their bodies “in and around a churchyard in east London”, according to The Telegraph.
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All four men died from an overdose of the sedative GHB, known as a “date-rape drug”.
At Redbridge magistrates’ court today, Paul Nagle, prosecuting, said the alleged killer and victims met “over the internet through a gay website”.
The murders are alleged to have taken place between June 2014 and September this year, all in the Barking area.
The same dog-walker found the body of Daniel Whitworth, 21, from Gravesend, Kent, in September in the same part of the churchyard.
Among them is Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, from Barnet, who was pronounced dead on Cooke Street, Barking, on June 19, 2014.
The body of Gabriel Kovari, a 22-year-old from Lewisham, was discovered near the graveyard of St Margaret’s Church in Barking on 28 August 2014. He was a second year art, fashion and design student at University of Middlesex and originally from Hull.
Jack Taylor was found dead a year on from the first three deaths – with his body found near to the churchyard last month.
Barking and Dagenham police had initially ruled out a connection between the four deaths, but later referred the cases to Scotland Yard’s homicide unit.
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Deputy district judge Shlomo Krieman remanded Port in custody until a hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
