The mother of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death in her home spoke about her daughter publicly for the first time Monday after a man pleaded guilty to her second-degree murder.
The man, who was 16 when Hannah Leflar was killed, was charged with first-degree murder, but entered his plea to the lesser charge at what was to be his second trial.
A mistrial in the case was declared last November when new information came to light — information that remains under a publication ban.
A co-accused, who was also 16 at the time of the stabbing, pleaded guilty last April to first-degree murder.
"A big, big relief today that both of them are accepting responsibility for what they have done," Janet Leflar, Hannah's mother, said outside court.
"We can move on. We have end dates in mind now."
Hannah was 16 when she was found dead in the family's Regina home in January 2015.
"She was amazing, a straight-A student, the most amazing teenager I've ever met," Leflar said.
"I hope that is how everyone remembers her. She just wanted to be everyone's friend and ended up ... trusting the wrong people and this was the outcome."
No statement of fact was entered during the proceedings Monday as the defence and Crown have not yet agreed on what role the teen played.
The defence indicated to Justice Lian Schwann that there is some issue as to what role he played in the killing.
"What the young person's lawyer was alluding to is, 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," said prosecutor Chris White.
"The Crown is of the view that his involvement is more significant than that and we are going to seek to prove that at the sentencing hearing."
That hearing has been set for two weeks beginning Sept. 18. The other man convicted is to be sentenced in May
The Crown is seeking adult sentences for both.
(CJME)
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.