A man has been convicted of murdering his stepdaughter at her university accommodation in Lancashire. Nathan Owens, 34, was found guilty today (October 22) of the murder of Carla Georgescu, a second-year psychology student, on her 20th birthday. He was also convicted of causing her grievous bodily harm.
The jury at Preston Crown Court returned unanimous verdicts after deliberating for three hours. When the foreman delivered the guilty verdicts, Owens, of Hopps Street, Hartlepool, smirked and flicked his hair.
Trial Details and Behaviour
During the three-week trial, which publicly examined private details of Carla's personal life and mental health, Owens repeatedly smirked and made notes. When jurors were shown photographs recovered from his devices that revealed a disturbing sexual fixation with Carla, he showed no shame. As prosecutors delivered their closing submissions, he stunned court staff by laughing and grinning during the address. He showed no reaction as he was escorted to the cells.
Owens will be held until his sentencing tomorrow (October 23). The court was told that in the early hours of February 4, 2026, unemployed Owens travelled from the family home in Hartlepool and killed Carla in her student accommodation.
Discovery and Investigation
Carla, who 'had everything to live for', was due to travel to Romania with a friend on her birthday, February 5. When she failed to arrive at the station, and her mother couldn't reach her, officers entered her room and discovered Carla's lifeless body. She had been stabbed and sustained defensive and sexual injuries before being hung from a wardrobe with a belt. Police initially believed the student had ended her own life, but a rapidly developing murder enquiry quickly pointed towards Owens.
Owens only acknowledged visiting Preston during the early hours of February 4 after Carla's mother made contact with the mortuary. He said she had requested his help with clearing rubbish from her bedroom and delivering incontinence underwear when he arrived at the halls at 4am on Thursday, February 5.
Evidence and Sentencing
Digital forensic work revealed secret photographs of Carla, barely clothed, captured at the family residence. Investigators also found hundreds of explicit images where Owens had digitally placed Carla's head onto adult pornography performers and footage of him wearing her underwear and engaging in sexual activity with a life-sized mannequin clothed in her nightwear.
Owens declined to respond to additional questioning during police interviews and chose not to give evidence throughout the trial. Mr Justice Jacobs will hand down a life sentence to Owens but will determine a minimum period before he becomes eligible to seek parole.
