Man pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder of 16-year-old Hannah Leflar

A man has pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of 16-year-old Hannah Leflarin January 2015.

The man cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act as he was 16at the time of the killing.

The Crown is seeking an adult sentence for the now 19-year-old man.

The plea was announced Monday, a few months after a mistrial was declared in November 2016, when the man faceda first-degree murder charge.He had entereda not guilty plea.

• Crown frustrated by mistrial in Hannah Leflar case
• Teen pleads not guilty in Hannah Leflar's death

'She just wanted to be everybody's friend'

The courtroom was packed with family and friends of the victim.Leflar'sfamily membersdid not cheer, cry or speak, instead remaining silent when they heard the news.

Janet Leflar, Hannah's mother, said she was relieved to hear that the accused had changed his plea.

"Big, big relief today that both of them now are accepting their responsibility for what they have done, accepted that they are guilty and there's not going to be anymore fighting with them," she said.

Janet described her daughter as an "absolutely amazing person," a straight A student and she hopes that is how people will remember Hannah.

"She just wanted to be everybody's friend and ended up trusting the wrong people."

Shesaid the family can now move on, as end-dates for the trial are set.

The man was one of two people involved in the death.Sentencing will be determined in September.

Crown theory

The otherperson, also a teenager at the time of Leflar's death,has already pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and will be sentenced in May.

Leflar, 16, was aGrade 11 student at Thom Collegiate at the time of her death.

Her body was discovered by her stepfather on Jan. 12, 2015.

The man who was to standtrial today was believed to have helped the man who stabbed Leflar.

The Crown saidhe was involved in theplan, its execution and the getaway, but not the actual stabbing.

His defence lawyer has said the man was in the house at the time of Leflar's death butwas not part of the plan to kill her.