Student admits murdering sex worker in 'kill room' inspired by TV show Dexter

Student admits murdering sex worker in 'kill room' inspired by TV show Dexter Forensics student Benjamin Day, 20, has pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to murdering Maria Saceanu, who was stabbed to death in a 'kill room' inspired by US TV drama Dexter A forensics student obsessed with US TV drama Dexter stabbed a sex worker to death in a copycat “kill room” he set up at an Airbnb. University of Worcester undergraduate Benjamin William Day has pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to murdering Maria Saceanu after inflicting 78 knife wounds and trying to dismember her body. Day, who was 19 at the time of the killing and is now 20, changed his plea to guilty after discussions with his barrister on the second day of his trial. Opening the Crown’s case on Monday, prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said the defendant spent several hours preparing the so-called kill room at rented premises in the Tividale area of the West Midlands, around 20 miles from his home in Redditch, Worcestershire. Day had been expected to claim self-defence, asserting that he set up the room to film a “tribute” to Dexter which he could post on TikTok. But after an hour-long delay to proceedings on Tuesday, Day returned from the cells to the dock and appeared to smirk as he nodded towards the court clerk and entered a guilty plea. Day, wearing a dark suit and a maroon patterned tie, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on December 4. The trial heard on Monday how the defendant had “prepared” the so-called kill room at rented premises in the Tividale area of the West Midlands, around 20 miles from his home in Worcestershire. Day was arrested after injuring his hand and calling 999 for help in December last year, the prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said. Ms Brand told the hearing yesterday: “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.” This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.