Chilling photos show the unassuming Airbnb where a Dexter-obsessed killer created a plastic-lined "kill room" before stabbing a woman 78 times to death. Benjamin Day lured 24-year-old Maria Saceanu to the rented property in Tividale, West Midlands, after meticulously planning her murder in a twisted imitation of the US television series Dexter.
Pictures of the modest property show the seemingly ordinary surroundings where the horrific killing unfolded. The Airbnb offered three bedrooms described as a "deluxe room", a "cosy double room" and a "compact and elegant single room", although it is not clear which one Day rented. The rooms featured patterned bedspreads, while guests had access to shared spaces including a large kitchen and living area.
Plastic-lined 'kill room'
But inside one bedroom, Day had spent several hours preparing what prosecutors described as a "kill room". West Midlands Police said the bedroom floor, walls and bed itself had been lined with plastic sheeting, which had been stapled to the walls. Officers later discovered a canvas knife roll containing multiple knives, as well as a staple gun and duct tape. An apron, plastic visor and cleaning materials were also found.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Day had taken knives, scissors, a mask, an apron, disposable gloves, plastic sheeting, duct tape, a staple gun and cleaning chemicals to the property. He stabbed Maria 78 times, with many of the wounds inflicted after she had died. Maria died from wounds to her neck which damaged her carotid arteries or jugular veins, while injuries to her hands were "consistent with efforts to protect herself", the court heard.
Attempt to dismember body
Day then attempted to dismember her body, cutting open his own hand in the process. He had placed Maria's possessions into a black bin bag ready for disposal before his plan began to unravel. The court heard a canvas roll containing knives was found in the bedroom, while microscope slides containing blood were thought to have been intended as a "trophy" from the killing.
Prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said Day's actions bore a series of similarities to Dexter, which follows a forensic scientist who is secretly a serial killer and knows how to cover his tracks. Day had changed his university course to study applied biology and forensics and had bought a khaki T-shirt similar to one worn by the fictional killer. Ms Brand said: "He had changed into 'Dexter' clothing before Maria Saceanu arrived at the house." She said the television character prepared plastic-lined "kill rooms" using staple guns or duct tape, adding: "And this is exactly how the defendant had prepared the room."
Arrest and guilty plea
Day left the Airbnb at around 12.30am on December 21 last year before walking some distance away and calling 999 at 12.50am asking for medical help. Police bodycam footage shows him bleeding from his injured hand and falsely claiming he could not remember where he had parked his car – which was outside the property containing Maria's body. Day claimed he had been attacked by a wild dog or fox and told officers he had travelled to Dudley to look for a "random girl" in a bar.
Further footage shows him wearing a Dexter-style khaki top as he was arrested at 3.42am at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley. Opening the prosecution case, Ms Brand told jurors: "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 initially been expected to argue self-defence and claim he had prepared the room to film a "tribute" to Dexter to post on TikTok. But on the second day of his trial, following an hour-long delay to proceedings, he returned from the cells and appeared to smirk before admitting murder. The guilty plea came around three hours after jurors had watched footage of him claiming he had been attacked by a dog or fox "near a bush".
Day, now 20, of Yeadon Close, Redditch, Worcestershire, had passed his first year at university studying journalism before switching to applied biology and forensics. Detective Inspector Matt Marston, of West Midlands Police's Major Crime Team, said: "Day had an obsessive personality and had become obsessed with the character Dexter. He planned this murder in meticulous detail. It was a pre-planned brutal attack on a defenceless woman lured to the room he had rented."
"Day had flagged down officers where he offered them a fabricated story about the reason why he had received an injury to his hand. Officers were suspicious and he was quickly detained. The details of this case shocked experienced officers and our thoughts continue to go out to the heartbroken family of Maria at this time." Day has been remanded in custody and faces a mandatory life sentence when he is sentenced on December 4.
