Benjamin William Day, a 20-year-old forensics student at the University of Worcester, has pleaded guilty to the murder of 24-year-old sex worker Maria Saceanu. The killing took place in an Airbnb property in Tividale, which Day had prepared as a “kill room” inspired by the TV show Dexter. Day stabbed Ms Saceanu 78 times and began to dismember her body before abandoning the attempt.
Guilty plea at Wolverhampton Crown Court
Day changed his plea to guilty on the second day of his trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. He was 19 at the time of the attack last year. The court heard that he had spent hours preparing the room in a manner reminiscent of the US TV drama Dexter. Rachel Brand KC, prosecuting, said: “He lured Maria Saceanu to a room that he had rented via Airbnb. He had prepared himself to kill her. He had planned to dispose of her body without leaving signs of what had happened, and he planned to get away with it. But it all went wrong and he was caught.”
Day had been expected to claim self-defence, asserting that he set up the room to film a Dexter-style “tribute” for TikTok. Following an hour-long delay in court, Day entered his guilty plea with what appeared to be a smirk. Wearing a dark suit and maroon patterned tie, he was remanded in custody for sentencing, which is scheduled for December 4.
Details of the killing
The killing took place at a three-bedroom Airbnb on Barncroft Road, Tividale. Day contacted Ms Saceanu through a website using a burner phone and arranged for her to meet him at the property. After inflicting 78 knife wounds, he began to dismember her body but abandoned the attempt after injuring his hand. He left the property around 12.30am and called 999 at 12.50am, claiming he needed medical help.
Day told police he had been attacked by a “wild dog” or fox, and bodycam footage showed him bleeding onto the pavement. He claimed he had gone out drinking in Dudley and had been looking for a “random girl” in a bar. When asked about the duct tape wrapped around his hand, he said it had been in his Fiat 500, though he could not remember where the car was parked. Day was arrested at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, wearing a Dexter-style khaki top.
Discovery and arrest
A fellow Airbnb guest discovered a trail of blood in the property and alerted the landlord, who contacted police. Officers found Ms Saceanu’s body after she had been reported missing by a friend of her partner. Day was arrested on suspicion of murder at 3.42am while lying on a hospital bed. Ms Brand told the court that Day had made a shopping list on his phone on November 18, detailing everything he needed for the killing. The list included knives, scissors, a mask, apron, disposable gloves, plastic sheeting, duct tape, a staple gun, cleaning chemicals, and “hefties”—American slang for heavy-duty bin bags. All the items on the list were found at the scene.
Ms Saceanu, originally from Romania, lived near the Airbnb property where she was killed. Gurdeep Garcha KC, defending, told the court: “He is well aware of the nature and inevitability of the sentence that must follow. It seems to us that given his age and the absence of (previous) criminal offending, the court would be assisted by a pre-sentence report.” Day, wearing a dark suit and a maroon patterned tie, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on December 4.
