Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Mike Szendrei holds a picture of his daughter Laura during a press conference in North Delta, B.C., October 13, 2010. A teenager has suddenly pleaded guilty to the murder of Laura Szendrei in a Delta, park two years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Lam

A teenager who suddenly pleaded guilty to the murder of a young woman in a Delta, BC, park two years ago will be sentenced as an adult.

The now 20-year-old man stood up at the end of his preliminary hearing Thursday and pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Laura Szendrei.

She was beaten and left for dead in September 2010 in broad daylight at a park where several sporting events were going on.

Her friends came to help after hearing her scream. She died in hospital the next morning.

Crown spokeswoman Samantha Hulme said an application has been filed to have the young man sentenced as an adult, which would give him a much tougher sentence.

"The next date back in court for sentencing is the 18th of February, for four days," she said.

Szendrei's parents, Mike and Rachael Szendrei, made a tearful plea for information and drew widespread support from the community where teens feared for their safety.

The suspect, who was initially charged with first-degree murder, was arrested in February 2011, five months after Szendrei was murdered.

"This has been an unspeakable tragedy for the family and friends of Laura to endure," Delta Police Chief Jim Cessford said Thursday.

"However, the Delta Police are mindful that today also reignites the sense of tragedy that Laura's family and friends have been living since her death."

The offender can't be named because he was 17 when he killed Szendrei.