Daniel Blanaru appeals conviction for Larisa Serban’s murder

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Daniel Blanaru has appealed his conviction for the murder of his partner, Larisa Serban, in Rathmore, Co Meath, on or about 12 August 2022.

Blanaru pleaded not guilty to murder. The proceedings were reported on 1 April 2025. A jury at the Central Criminal Court found him guilty after a seven-week trial.

In his final garda interview, Blanaru said: “I am guilty, I killed her, please lock me up.” In his defence, he claimed someone else had possibly killed Serban. He also told gardaí that she had come at him with a knife during a struggle and that it had accidentally gone into her; he claimed he was trying to protect himself.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon imposed the mandatory life sentence and said it could be backdated to when Blanaru went into custody.

Blanaru subsequently sought to have his conviction overturned, claiming jury bias and witness perjury. No appeal outcome is supplied in the available reports.