A teenage girl who wrote in her diary that she hated her mother and wanted to kill her has been charged with murder alongside another teen after a woman was found stabbed to death in a vacation rental in Utah.
Mihaela "Bella" Gabriela Sorescu, aged 16, and Abigael "Jay" Paige Flanagan, 17, face adult murder charges under Utah law along with charges of obstruction of justice and motor vehicle theft over the death of Andreea Mottram, 47.
Cleaning staff called the police on March 23 after entering the unit in Washington City, close to the Nevada border, and discovering Mottram’s body. The deputy medical examiner determined she had died around 24 hours previously.
In court documents, the Washington County Attorney said police established that Mottram was staying in the unit with her daughter, Sorescu, 16, and her daughter’s friend Flanagan. Mottram and Flanaghan traveled to the area together to visit Sorescu, who was enrolled in a residential treatment facility at the time.
When police entered the rental unit, they found Mottram dead, having been stabbed 14 times. There was no sign of forced entry.
Following a search, officers found phones that they believed belonged to Mottram and Flanagan in a bathroom, along with a purse containing Mottram’s ID.
“These items appear to have been placed in the toilet and attempted to be flushed in an effort to conceal evidence and/or delay apprehension,” affidavits of probable cause published by the Washington County Attorney’s office said.
Investigators found several knives at the scene, including one that had been washed in the sink but still had trace amounts of blood on it.
A crumpled-up pair of pants found in another bathroom had several spots of blood on them, and when they were unfurled, investigators found “what appeared to be a bloody imprint of a knife blade.”
The documents said that based on physical descriptions, police believed the pants belonged to Sorescu.
A car rented by Mottram on March 20 in Las Vegas was later detected by an automated license plate reader camera in Paramount, California on March 23, some 400 miles away — the day after Mottram died.
The Washington City Police Department confirmed that the pair were discovered in Los Angeles on March 27.
Evidence gathered by police found that Sorescu had been in a residential treatment facility for three years and is currently enrolled in a Washington County residential treatment facility, while Flanagan had been in a residential treatment facility for at least a year but had been recently taken out of care by her family.
Police spoke to a person named Frank, who had found a diary written in November by Sorescu.
“He stated in the diary that she had indicated how much she hated her mother and wrote that she wanted to kill her,” the documents said.
“Frank also indicated that Bella will self-harm herself … Frank indicated that Bella has a history of violent behavior.”
The documents said there was “probable cause” to suspect that Mottram was stabbed to death by either or both of the teenagers and that either or both of the teens had tried to destroy evidence by flushing it down the toilet.
Sorescu and Flanagan have since been formally charged and are being held in the Dixie Area Detention Center.
Mottram has been remembered as a “dear friend” and a strong advocate for human rights.
The American Romanian Coalition for Human and Equal Rights (Archer) said Mottram, a co-founder of the organization, had a “profound impact” and advocated for others.
“Andreea’s generosity of spirit was boundless,” the organization said on Facebook.
“To many of us, she was a mentor, a friend, and a source of strength in difficult times. Her wisdom, especially when it came to motherhood and advocacy, left an indelible mark. Her words and actions have shaped lives, and her legacy will continue through the work we do every day. “
