'Big relief' for family of Hannah Leflar as accused pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder

There was a wave of relief on Monday for the family of Hannah Leflar, as the second teen charged with the 16-year-old’s death stood and entered a guilty plea for second-degree-murder.

It happened at the start of what was supposed to be a two-week long first-degree murder trial.

The other teen charged in connection with Hannah’s death pleaded guilty in April.  

“A big, big relief today that both of them are accepting responsibility for what they have done,” Janet Leflar, Hannah’s mom, said outside court.

“We can move on, we have end dates in mind now.”

Hannah Leflar was found stabbed to death in her Regina home in January 2015. 

Speaking to the media for the first time, Janet Leflar spoke of Hannah and how she will remember her.

“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 she trusting the wrong people and this was the outcome.”

No statement of fact was entered during the over hour-long proceedings as the defence and Crown have not yet agreed on what role the teen on trial Monday played.

The defence indicated to Justice Lian Schwann that there is some issue 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,” Crown lawyer Chris White explained.

“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 sentencing hearing is scheduled for two-weeks beginning Sept. 18.

The Crown is seeking adult sentences. Sentencing hearings for the other teen is set for May.