A lodger at an Airbnb in Oldbury was 'alarmed' to discover a 'trail of blood' left by an alleged copycat killer who tried to dismember a sex worker's body, a murder trial has heard. Benjamin Day, 20, from Redditch, is accused of murdering Maria Saceanu after inflicting 78 knife wounds inside a double bed room he had rented in Barncroft Road, Tividale.
Blood trail discovery
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how a man renting another bedroom in the property returned to find blood across the floor, hall, stairs, kitchen sink and bathroom. When he 'peeked' through the 'slightly ajar' door into Day's room, he was shocked by what he saw.
Opening the case on Monday, October 5, prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said: "He was alarmed to say the least." Police rushed to the property and found an 'appalling scene'. Ms Brand said: "The room had been covered with plastic sheeting, on the walls and on the bed. The naked body of Ms Saceanu was on the floor. There was blood everywhere and several knives, including a meat cleaver, were visible."
Dexter fascination
Day, of Yeadon Close, Redditch, Worcestershire, denies murder between December 19 and 22, 2025. The prosecution say his 'actions were those of a copycat intimidating the things he had seen' in US show Dexter. The court heard the programme follows Dexter Morgan, a forensic scientist who is a serial killer and 'knows how to' cover up his crimes.
Ms Brand said 'there is no dispute from the defence in this case that his fascination with that programme, Dexter, played a part in his actions leading up to the night that Ms Saceanu was killed'.
Sequence of events
Jurors heard how sex worker Ms Saceanu was contacted by Day shortly after 9.30pm on Saturday, December 20 last year. She drove to the Airbnb and was captured on CCTV when she arrived about 50 minutes later in what the prosecution say was the 'last time she was seen alive'. Day, who was 19 at the time and living with his parents, is said to have been at the property since about 5.30pm 'preparing' before killing her 'within a very short time of her arrival'.
Ms Brand alleged that University of Worcester student Day injured himself as he tried to dismember Ms Saceanu's body and 'bound up his own hand with gaffer tape'. He was captured on CCTV leaving the Airbnb at 12.30am on Sunday, December 21, and walked 'some distance' before calling emergency services about 20 minutes later.
At 1.05am, Day texted the Airbnb landlord and asked if he could extend his stay to one week, or at least two or three days, before police arrived about five minutes later. Ms Brand said: "He said that the injury to his hand had been caused when he had been bitten by a fox or a wild dog. The police found that explanation to be curious and it was also curious that he had bound up his own hand with gaffer tape."
Arrest and investigation
Paramedics took Day to Russells Hall Hospital where he continued to insist he had been bitten before he eventually accepted that he had 'done it himself with a knife'. Ms Brand continued: "He must have been thinking that nobody knew about the body of Ms Saceanu. He was still hoping to get away with what he had done and still thinking about covering his tracks."
By 3.35am, Day had made a further booking for the same Airbnb room for Sunday, December 21 and messaged the landlord to say "I already have the keys and I won't need checking, thanks". Ms Brand said: "He did not want anyone going into that room, did he?" He also text his mum and said he was not going to work and would be staying at a friend's house.
Jurors heard how Ms Saceanu's partner 'became worried' when he did not hear from her, so contacted a friend who then reported it to police. The police 'knew the registration' of Ms Saceanu's car, which was parked outside the Airbnb. Day was then arrested at the hospital at 3.42am.
The court heard how the other lodger returned from an evening out at about 12.30am. The door of Day's bedroom was 'slightly ajar' so he 'peeked in and saw something of what was in that room', Ms Brand said. He rang his girlfriend to collect him, left the property and sent photographs to the landlord, who contacted police.
A 'burner' phone Day is said to have used when he contacted Ms Saceanu and 999 has never been found, Ms Brand said. He is alleged to have 'thrown it away' during his walk. The trial continues.
