Diana Cristea, aged 19 at the time of the offences, was convicted alongside her then-boyfriend Joel Osei of the murder of 43-year-old Irish dancer Adrian Murphy in the summer of 2019. The pair used a fake profile on the gay dating app Grindr to target men for robbery, employing scopolamine – a date-rape drug from the deadly nightshade family – to incapacitate their victims. Cristea participated in the poisoning that led to Murphy's death and the subsequent theft of his financial assets.
Murphy, a respected dance teacher and choreographer at the Royal Academy of Dance on sabbatical, was lured by the couple and poisoned with a lethal dose of scopolamine in a drink. The drug, known for its use in rapes and kidnappings, caused his death, with toxicology confirming an overdose. After the murder on or around early June 2019, the couple attempted to use Murphy's stolen cards to buy £62,000 in diamonds in New York. His body was found on 4 June 2019, with evidence including the discarded phone and drug traces in beverages at the scene.
Cristea and Osei had struck two days earlier, poisoning another man with scopolamine, stealing his possessions including his wallet, cards, and laptops, and leaving him hospitalised. The victim recounted the 'horrific and humiliating ordeal' in court, noting its lasting impact on his security and life. The couple's modus operandi relied on the drug's disorienting effects to exploit victims without resistance, banking on their shame to prevent reporting.
At Croydon Crown Court in October 2020, Cristea was found guilty of murder, two counts of theft, and eight counts of fraud. While Osei was sentenced immediately to life with a 32-year minimum, Cristea's sentencing was deferred. Mr Justice William Davis's remarks during Osei's sentencing indirectly addressed their joint scheme, criticising the expectation that victims' embarrassment would silence them. Family impact statements from Murphy's sister Majella and brother Robert expressed devastation, with Majella stating: 'You have stolen my brother from me, you have ripped half of me away, I personally will never recover from this.' Robert added: 'We will not get our Adrian back.'
Cristea, residing in Langley Park, Mill Hill, Barnet, north London, was part of a calculated plot that exploited online dating vulnerabilities. This case, covered by The Independent on 23 October 2020, illustrates the severe consequences of using date-rape drugs in predatory schemes, with scopolamine's notoriety stemming from its paralysing and amnesiac properties.