The first picture has been released of 24-year-old Maria Saceanu after a forensic science student admitted murdering her inside a rented room in the West Midlands.
Benjamin Day, 20, pleaded guilty to Maria’s murder after initially denying the charge.
West Midlands Police said Day had become obsessed with the television series Dexter and had meticulously prepared a bedroom at a rental property in Tividale before the killing.
Room lined with plastic sheeting
Police said the floor, walls and bed had been covered with plastic sheeting which had been stapled into place.
Officers also recovered a canvas knife roll containing several knives, along with a staple gun, duct tape, an apron, plastic visor and cleaning materials.
Maria had been stabbed 78 times.
Prosecutors also told the court that Day had begun attempting to dismember her body.
Murder discovered at rental property
Maria, who was originally from Romania, had gone to the property after being contacted by Day.
Police were alerted on December 21, 2025 after blood was discovered inside the property on Bancroft Road, Tividale.
Officers searched the building and found Maria dead inside the bedroom.
Day had injured his hand during the attack and later approached police, initially claiming he had been attacked by a fox.
‘Planned this murder in meticulous detail’
Detective Inspector Matt Marston, from 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.”
He added that experienced officers had been shocked by the details of the case and said the force’s thoughts remained with Maria’s family.
Day, of Yeadon Close, Redditch, was 19 at the time of the murder.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on December 4.
