A forensic science student obsessed with the US television drama Dexter tried to blame his victim for her own death.
Benjamin William Day, 20, of Yeadon Close, Redditch, pleaded guilty on Tuesday October 6, part-way during a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court to murdering Maria Saceanu.
He killed the 24-year-old after inviting her to an Airbnb property where he had covered a room in plastic sheeting and meticulously prepared to carry out the attack to replicate the TV-show character Dexter.
Jonathan Roe from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Benjamin William Day’s guilty verdict brings to an end a trial in which he tried to blame Maria Saceanu for her own death by alleging she attacked him first.
"The evidence presented by the prosecution exposed those claims for the lies they were, and he has rightly been forced to accept responsibility for her murder.
“Forensic evidence and pathology were central to this case, and the entire prosecution team was determined to secure justice for Maria.
"By presenting that evidence clearly, the defendant was left with no choice but to accept responsibility for his actions.
"Maria’s family have been spared the trauma of a prolonged trial process as a result of today’s guilty verdict.
“My thoughts remain with all those who loved and knew Maria.
"Her life was cut short to feed Day’s warped fantasy, and nothing can undo that loss.
"The CPS remain determined to secure justice for her and for everyone who loved her."
The first day of the trial heard that after causing 78 knife wounds to sex worker Saceanu, who he contacted through a website using a burner phone, Day abandoned the "gruesome task" of dismemberment because he cut himself.
Police were alerted to the scene at the Airbnb by the property's landlord, who had been contacted by another resident who had booked into a different room and had discovered a trail of blood.
Day will be sentenced on December 4, 2026.
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