UK Stepfather on Trial for Alleged Campus Murder of Student Carla Georgescu

Jurors at Preston Crown Court have reviewed CCTV footage showing Nathan Owens arriving at a Preston university campus with a blanket over his head prior to the alleged murder of his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Carla Georgescu. Owens, 34, stands accused of driving overnight from Hartlepool to Ribble Hall on February 4 to strangle Georgescu in her accommodation. Prosecutors allege the killing was driven by escalating sexual jealousy after the defendant learned the second-year clinical psychology student planned to meet an online romantic partner.

According to court evidence, footage captured Owens parking his Ford Puma near the flats around 4:00 a.m. before entering the foyer cloaked in a patterned blanket. Approximately ninety minutes later, cameras filmed him exiting while holding an umbrella, wearing a face mask, and carrying two bags, as well as wearing the victim's trainers. Georgescu was discovered dead on February 5, which would have been her 20th birthday, slumped against a wardrobe with a belt around her neck following a welfare check requested by her mother.

Prosecutors outlined an extensive history of Owens harboring a one-sided sexual fixation toward the teenager, claiming the defendant filmed himself engaging in explicit acts with a life-sized effigy dressed in her nightwear and covertly captured images of her. The court heard Owens told his wife he had only traveled to Preston to deliver supplies and assist the student with cleaning, an explanation prosecutors characterized as an attempt to cover his tracks. His DNA was subsequently recovered from the crime scene.

The court also heard testimony regarding Georgescu's personal battles with depression and endometriosis prior to her death, which initially led responders to consider suicide. Owens has formally denied charges of murder, intentional strangulation, and grievous bodily harm with intent as the trial proceedings continue in Preston Crown Court.