Moment ‘sexually obsessed killer stepdad’ arrives at 19-year-old university student’s halls of residence with his head covered by blanket
Nathan Owens, 34, denies murdering his 19-year-old stepdaughter, university student Carla Georgescu, whose body was found in her accommodation in Preston. Prosecutors allege he travelled there secretly before dawn and killed her, possibly out of sexual jealousy; the trial has heard that he had an escalating fixation on her.
Footage shown to jurors appears to show Owens approaching the building with a blanket over his head at about 4am on 4 February, then leaving around 90 minutes later wearing a face mask and carrying bags. Carla’s mother raised the alarm the next day, when Carla would have turned 20, after she could not reach her. Owens later said he had visited to bring supplies and tidy Carla’s room, which prosecutors say was a cover story; her DNA evidence and other circumstances are being considered at trial.
- Nathan Owens denies murdering his stepdaughter, Carla Georgescu.
- Prosecutors allege he secretly visited her halls before dawn.
- Jurors have seen footage of him arriving with a blanket over his head.
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Carla Georgescu was a 19-year-old university student living in halls of residence in Preston. Nathan Owens, her 34-year-old stepfather, is accused of travelling there and murdering her; he denies the charge.
The case is being heard in court, where prosecutors have set out evidence about Owens’s movements and his relationship with Carla. The trial also concerns claims that his interest in her had become increasingly intense, and examines what happened during his visit to her accommodation.
The case matters because the court must decide whether the evidence proves murder beyond reasonable doubt. It also involves the safety and privacy of students living away from home and the trust placed in family members.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The prosecution’s case is that Owens’s secret pre-dawn visit, his departure in a different appearance, and the other evidence heard at trial support the allegation that he killed Carla and later gave a cover story. Evidence of an escalating fixation could help explain a possible motive, though the jury must assess how far it is supported and what it proves.
The case against
Owens denies murder, and the reported footage and evidence must be assessed in context rather than treated as proof on their own. His account is that he visited to bring supplies and tidy Carla’s room; the defence can argue that the prosecution must establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt and that an alleged fixation or suspicion about motive does not by itself prove he killed her.