One of the teens accused in the death of 16-year-old Hannah Leflar two years ago has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
The crown is seeking an adult sentence, and the 18-year-old accused said he consents to that.
This is the second youth accused in her death. Both cannot be identified because of their age, under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
In January 2015, Leflar was found stabbed to death in her Regina home. Her family said there is relief knowing the accused are taking responsibility for her death.
“Big, big relief today that both of them now are… are accepting their responsibility for what they’ve done and accepted that they’re guilty and there’s not going to be any more fighting with them,” her mother Janet said.
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Her mother described Hannah as a warm and friendly person.
“She was amazing, absolutely amazing. Straight-A student. The most amazing teenager I’ve ever met,” she said.
Crown prosecutor Chris White said they will be seeking adult sentences for both.
“What the young person’s lawyer alluded to today was at the absolute bare minimum, what the young person is acknowledging is that he is a party to the offence by abetting the other young person in his commission of it,” White said.
“The crown is of the view that his involvement is more significant than that, and we’re going to seek to prove that at the sentencing hearing,” he said.
“In our view, his culpability doesn’t fall much shorter than that of the other.”
Leflar’s mother also echoed those sentiments, hoping both will be sentenced as adults.
“For them to be so young, and just so blatantly done. First degree, it’s disgusting, really disgusting. And they need to pay for it,” she said.
The first youth will be sentenced at a sentencing hearing in May and the second accused is scheduled for September.
Court will determine the specific facts of the case and hear from a variety of medical professionals and officers.
Court will also decide whether the two youths accused will be sentenced as adults.
The guilty plea comes after a mistrial was declared last November following the discovery of new information that remains under a publication ban.
With files from Canadian Press