Man Admits to Killing Ex-Girlfriend, Burning Body in Her Car in Middle of Murder Trial

A man admitted in court this week to killing his ex-girlfriend and burning her body in her car, interrupting his ongoing murder trial with the confession.

Lachlan Young, 23, pleaded guilty in Ballarat, Australia, on Friday, July 18 to murdering 23-year-old Hannah McGuire last year, according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Company, the Australian Associated Press and News.com.au. The deal comes eight days after his murder trial began in Victorian Supreme Court. He previously pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said Young admitted to killing McGuire on April 5, 2024 and setting her body on fire in her car, but previously claimed the woman’s death was an “unplanned and spontaneous event,” the AAP reports. McGuire’s body was reportedly dumped in a bushland.

During the trial, Young’s friend, Benjamin O’Keefe, testified that Young planned to crash McGuire’s car with the woman still inside “because she was leaving him and she was going to take the house and other things,” according to ABC.

Lachlan Young admits to murdering Hannah McGuire

O’Keefe further told the court that he witnessed Young setting fire to the woman’s car but did not know she was inside, the AAP reports.

In court, McGuire’s parents, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, alleged that Young mistreated their daughter, per ABC.

The parents, who reportedly own a local pub called National Hotel Clunes, did not speak to the media but shared their reaction to the plea in a Facebook post.

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“No other result would have been fitting,” the post reads. “All for you Hannah, my sweet girl. Something tells me, it’s going to be a big night at the Nash.”

According to the news outlets, Young is expected to be sentenced at a later date.