A young man accused of murdering his former partner in regional Victoria has suddenly changed his plea to guilty mid-trial.
Lachlan Young, now 23, has been on trial in the Victorian Supreme Court in Ballarat over the murder of Hannah McGuire on April 5, 2024.
He had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, admitting he did kill her and burnt her body in her own car, since the trial began on July 9.
Lachlan Young is accused of murdering Hannah McGuire. (Supplied)
However, he denied murdering the 23-year-old, claiming her death was instead an “unplanned and spontaneous” event.
Today, Young changed his plea to guilty, admitting that he did murder McGuire.
He will face a pre-sentence hearing at a later date.