Man Convicted of Murdering Stepdaughter in Preston Student Flat

Nathan Owens, 34, has been convicted of murdering his stepdaughter Carla Georgescu at Preston Crown Court. The jury reached unanimous guilty verdicts for murder and grievous bodily harm after about three hours of deliberations following a three-week trial.

Prosecutors said Owens developed a sexual obsession with Carla, a 19-year-old second-year psychology student at the University of Lancashire. He drove more than 100 miles from the family home in Hartlepool to Preston in the early hours of February 4, 2026.

“She paid with her life because she dared to say no.”

CCTV footage showed Owens entering Ribble Hall student accommodation at around 4am, with his head hidden under a patterned blanket. He left about an hour and a half later holding an umbrella, wearing a face mask, and carrying Carla's trainers and two bags.

Carla was found dead in her student bedroom on what would have been her 20th birthday. She had planned to travel to Romania on February 5 to meet her online boyfriend for the first time.

Owens messaged Carla pretending he and her mother were collecting a purse left behind, which police described as a lie. He then drove back to Hartlepool, allegedly dumping bedding later found to contain traces of Carla's DNA.

Owens smirked and flicked his hair as the guilty verdicts were read. His wife Janina told jurors he did not mention visiting her daughter during the night when she woke the next morning.