A man accused of murder after remains were found inside a freezer buried in an Ipswich backyard more than seven years ago has pleaded guilty.
Bobby Andrew Weaver appeared in the Supreme Court in Brisbane this morning where he was due to face a pre-trial hearing.
Instead, Weaver was arraigned and pleaded guilty to the murder of 58-year-old David Thornton.
The remains of Ipswich man David Thornton, 58, were found in a freezer buried in his backyard. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
A remaining charge of interfering with a corpse was withdrawn.
Weaver was due to face trial in July, but the listing dates were vacated.
David Thornton was found buried in his own backyard in 2019. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
His lawyers indicated they would issue a subpoena for his medical records ahead of a sentencing hearing.
Weaver was remanded in custody, and his case is expected to be mentioned next month.
Victim missing for weeks before discovery
The court heard Weaver, who was 24 at the time, killed Mr Thornton on an unknown date between January and March in 2019.
During that time, Mr Thornton had been reported missing by his family.
An extensive police investigation led to an excavation at the 58-year-old’s Goodna property.
Weaver was extradited from NSW to Queensland in 2019. (AAP: Darren England)
Officers uncovered two buried freezers, with one containing human remains later identified as belonging to Mr Thornton.
Weaver, who was known to him, was arrested days later in Byron Bay and extradited to Queensland.
He will be sentenced to mandatory life in prison under Queensland laws.