Benjamin William Day, a 20-year-old University of Worcester undergraduate, has pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to the murder of Maria Saceanu. The 19-year-old at the time of the killing inflicted 78 knife wounds and attempted to dismember her body in a copycat “kill room” set up at an Airbnb.
Guilty plea entered on second day of trial
Day changed his plea to guilty after discussions with his barrister on the second day of his trial. He had been expected to claim self-defence, asserting that he set up the room to film a “tribute” to Dexter, the US TV drama, which he could post on TikTok.
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.
Court proceedings and sentencing
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 the guilty plea. Wearing a dark suit and a maroon patterned tie, he was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on December 4.
