Murder accused copied TV killer Dexter, jury hears

A forensics student obsessed with the US TV drama Dexter set up a copycat "kill room" in an Airbnb to stab a woman to death, a jury has heard.

Benjamin William Day, 20, a University of Worcester undergraduate, was arrested wearing a khaki top resembling one worn by Dexter after inflicting 78 knife wounds on Maria Saceanu, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Opening the case against Day, prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said he had "lured" Saceanu, a sex worker, to the room where he had amassed a number of items used to kill her and dispose of evidence.

Day, of Redditch, Worcestershire, who denies murder, was arrested after injuring his hand and calling 999 for help in December, the court heard.

Warning: This article contains details that readers may find distressing

Brand said it was anticipated Day, who was 19 at the time and still living with his parents, would claim self-defence and that he set up the room in the Tividale area of the West Midlands to film "a tribute" to Dexter which he could post on TikTok.

Explaining the Crown's case, Brand said the evidence showed Day had "planned this murder in some detail".

"He had prepared himself to kill her," she said. "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."

Giving the circumstances in which he was arrested and the body was found, Brand said Day, of Yeadon Close "just had no choice" but to admit he was the person who killed Saceanu.

Brand added: "We say there is plenty of evidence which will drive you to the safe and solid conclusion that this was a murder."

The court heard Day passed his first university year studying journalism but had transferred to another course in applied biology and forensics.

Brand said he had been fascinated by the programme Dexter, which centres on a forensic scientist in a police department who knows how to cover his own tracks as a serial killer.

There was no evidence of any sexual contact between Day and Saceanu, jurors heard, but she had answered a text message from him shortly after 21:30 GMT on 20 December, 2025.

She made her way by car to the rented Airbnb in Barncroft Road, Tividale, arriving 50 minutes later.

Before her arrival, Brand said, Day had changed into "Dexter" clothing and had copied the "kill room" set up by the character, which included lining the walls and floor with plastic sheeting.

After the killing, Day tried to dismember the victim's body, it was alleged, but "had to abandon that gruesome task" because he cut his left hand, leaving the property at about 00:30 on 21 December.

The court heard Day texted the Airbnb's landlord at 01:05 asking if he could extend his stay to a week, and then told police his hand injury was caused by a fox or dog.

But a resident who booked a different room was shocked to see a trail of blood and notified the landlord, who called police.

Officers found the body of Saceanu, who had been reported missing.

Day was arrested on suspicion of murder as he lay in a hospital bed, the court heard.

Brand told the jury: "We understand that Benjamin Day now suggests that he was defending himself."

She said it was apparently his case that Maria Saceanu "took fright when she saw how he had staged the room" and attacked him with one of the knives "but he managed to disarm her and defended himself by stabbing her two or three times".

A Home Office pathologist said Saceanu probably died as a result or wounds to her neck, causing damage to her carotid arteries, with a number of wounds to her hands "consistent with efforts to protect herself".

The pathologist found 78 wounds caused by knives, many inflicted after death, the jury heard.

Outlining evidence against Day, Brand said he had made a "shopping list" on his phone on 18 November 2025, of things required for the killing, including plastic sheeting, a staple gun, cleaning chemicals and microscopic slides.

"Dexter wears an apron, a plastic visor and gloves when killing his victims – all such items were found in the bedroom [at Barncroft Road]," she added.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues on Tuesday.

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