A teenage girl allegedly wrote in her diary that she wanted to kill her mother. Now her mother is dead, and she is being charged as an adult in the brutal stabbing death that occurred in a Utah vacation rental.
Following the death of 47-year-old Andreea Mottram, Mihaela "Bella" Gabriela Sorescu, 16, and her friend Abigael "Jay" Paige Flanagan, 17, have been charged with murder, obstruction of justice, and motor vehicle theft.
Mottram's body was discovered by cleaning staff on March 23 at a short-term rental in Washington City, Utah, ABC 4 reported. Authorities say Mottram, who lived in California, had been stabbed more than a dozen times.
A knife with traces of blood was found in the sink, and a pair of bloodstained pants were recovered from a bathroom. Authorities also found phones and a wallet stuffed into a toilet at the scene, suggesting an attempt to destroy evidence.
Police identified Sorescu — Mottram's daughter — and Flanagan as the last people seen with the victim. The two teens allegedly fled in a rental car and were later located in southern California.
"At this time there is probable cause to suspect that the victim was stabbed to death by Jay and/or Bella and that both are criminally responsible," court documents obtained by ABC 4 stated.
According to investigators, a person came forward to say they had found Sorescu's diary months earlier, where she allegedly wrote about hating her mother and wanting to kill her. Police documents also noted Sorescu had a documented history of violence and had spent the last three years in a treatment facility.
Both teens will be tried as adults, as required under Utah law for defendants aged 16 and 17 charged with murder. However, they are not eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
