'Dexter-obsessed' forensics student stabbed woman 78 times to death in copycat 'kill room' in Airbnb, court told

A forensics student obsessed with the US crime drama Dexter stabbed a sex worker to death in a copycat 'kill room' he created in an Airbnb, a jury has heard.Benjamin Day, 20, was arrested in a Dexter-style khaki top after stabbing Maria Saceanu 78 times and beginning to dismember her body, his murder trial was told.The court heard the University of Worcester undergraduate prepared the room in Tividale, West Midlands, as a 'tribute' to the US drama, which follows forensic technician Dexter Morgan, a police investigator and vigilante serial killer.Opening the case against Day earlier today at Wolverhampton Crown Court, prosecutor Rachel Brand KC said he lured Ms Saceanu to the Airbnb and planned to dispose of her body after killing her.Day, who denies murder, was arrested in December last year after injuring his hand and calling 999 for help.It was alleged he cut his hand as he began the 'gruesome task' of dismembering the woman's body but Ms Brand said she expected Day to claim self-defence as the reason for her death.The prosecution alleged Day had 'planned this murder in some detail' and 'planned to dispose of her body without leaving signs of what had happened'.'But it all went wrong and he was caught,' Ms Brand told the court. A 'copycat' killer mimicked a 'kill room' from the US crime series Dexter, a court has heard. Pictured: Michael C Hall as the programme's title characterShe said Day had become 'fascinated' with Dexter and his actions 'were those of a copycat, imitating the things he had seen in that programme'.The series, which ran from 2006 to 2013, featured the orphan Dexter Morgan, who witnessed his mother's brutal chainsaw murder at age three and was encouraged by his adopted police officer father to channel his sociopathic traits into killing criminals who slipped through the justice system.There was no evidence of sexual contact between Day and Ms Saceanu but she answered a text message from him shortly after 9.30pm on December 20 last year.She drove to the rented Airbnb in Barncroft Road, where Day had been 'preparing' since 5.30pm, and arrived around 10.20pm.Ms Brand argued jurors would likely conclude that Day killed her within a short time of her arrival, before trying to dismember the body and injuring himself.He is said to have walked some distance away and ditched a 'burner' phone before calling 999 at 12.50am.Ms Brand said: 'He had walked some distance from the house quite deliberately, we say, because he was thinking no-one knew about the dead body he had left in the bedroom… and he didn't want to be linked to the house.'Perhaps he was also thinking that after his own hand was treated by doctors, he might go back and finish the job.'At 1.05am Day messaged the Airbnb landlord to ask if he could extend his stay there to a week.He told police his hand had been cut by a fox or dog before being taken to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley.A resident of another room at the Airbnb noticed a trail of blood inside and told the landlord, who called police.Officers found Ms Saceanu inside and Day was arrested at 3.42am as he lay on his hospital bed.Ms Brand told the jury: 'We understand that Benjamin Day now suggests that he was defending himself.'Apparently his case is that the room had been staged like an episode from the TV drama Dexter because he wanted to make a sort of tribute video, which he then would put on TikTok.'Apparently his case is that Maria Saceanu took fright when she saw how he had staged the room, she picked up one of the knives and attacked him, cutting his hand, but he managed to disarm her and defended himself by stabbing her two or three times.'A Home Office pathologist said Ms Saceanu probably died as a result of wounds to her neck causing damage to her carotid arteries or jugular veins, with 'a number of wounds to her hands which were consistent with efforts to protect herself'.The prosecution said Day collected her possessions in a black bin bag to be dumped.Ms Brand said on November 18 last year, Day made a 'shopping list' on his phone of items required for the killing, including knives, scissors, a mask, an apron, disposable gloves, plastic sheeting, duct tape, a staple gun, a T-shirt, trousers, cleaning chemicals, microscope slides, a pipette, and 'hefties' – a word used by Americans to describe heavy duty black bin bags.All the items on the list were found at the scene, the court heard. Wolverhampton Crown Court, where Benjamin Day's murder trial continuesListing what she said were 'similarities' between the death and the TV series, Ms Brand told jurors: 'Dexter Morgan works as a forensic scientist in a police department – and the broad premise of the programme is that he is a serial killer who knows how to cover his tracks.'As you know the defendant changed his university course… to study applied biology and forensics.'Dexter wears a khaki T-shirt. The defendant had purchased just such a T-shirt and was wearing it when he was arrested – as you will see.'He had changed into "Dexter" clothing before Maria Saceanu arrived at the house.'In the TV series Dexter prepares a "kill room" when carrying out his attacks, lined with plastic sheeting which he fixes using a staple gun or duct/gaffer tape.'And this is exactly how the defendant had prepared the room.'Dexter wears an apron, a plastic visor and gloves when killing his victims – all such items were found in the bedroom (at Barncroft Road).'Other similarities with the TV series included a canvas roll containing knives found in the bedroom, the dismemberment attempts and microscope slides thought to be a 'trophy' from the killing, Ms Brand said.Day 'just had no choice' but to admit he had killed Ms Saceanu because of the circumstances in which he was arrested and how the woman's body was found, she added.'We say there is plenty of evidence which will drive you to the safe and solid conclusion that this was a murder,' she told jurors.Day had studied journalism for a year before transferring to applied biology and forensics and had never been in trouble with the police before, the court heard.The trial continues.