The man accused of murdering 23-year-old Clunes woman Hannah McGuire has entered a plea of guilty, eight days into his trial.
Lachlan Young had initially pleaded not guilty to murdering his ex-partner in April last year, and his offer to plead guilty to manslaughter was rejected by the prosecution.
In the Supreme Court at Ballarat today, the 23-year-old was re-arraigned and told a packed courtroom that he did murder Ms McGuire.
Young had previously admitted to killing his former partner and dumping her body in bushland, but denied he did so with murderous intent.
Ms McGuire’s body was found in her burnt-out car.
Hannah McGuire, 23, was found dead inside a burnt-out vehicle in Scarsdale in April 2024. (Supplied: GoFundMe)
The courtroom was filled with Ms McGuire’s friends and family, who hugged, cheered, clapped and wept after Young was escorted from the court.
Young will return to court on July 25 for a mention ahead of a plea hearing.
Court told of Young’s nasty nature
The jury was earlier shown footage of the crime scene at Ms McGuire’s home, where she died — one of several locations visited by the jury in the early days of the trial.
Ms McGuire’s parents, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, testified during the trial that Young was a problem drinker with a temper who did not treat their daughter well.
Debbie and Glenn McGuire outside the Supreme Court of Victoria in Ballarat after hearing Lachlan Young’s guilty plea. (ABC News: Laura Mayers)
They left court today after Young’s guilty plea without speaking to the media.
This week the court also heard from Young’s friend, Benjamin O’Keefe, 23, who told the jury Young wanted him to drive in convoy into bushland at Scarsdale, south-west of Ballarat, in April last year.
Mr O’Keefe told the court that Young had planned to crash Ms McGuire’s car with her inside, unconscious, at the wheel, “because she was leaving him and she was going to take the house and other things”.
Mr O’Keefe said that he told Young he could not do it, and tried ignoring his messages, but after a few requests, agreed.
The court heard that at no point did Mr O’Keefe look inside the vehicle Young was driving, and he did not know that Ms McGuire’s body was in the car.
The court heard Young set Ms McGuire’s car on fire with her body inside.