Guilty pleas have been entered in the killing of 33-year-old Eleanor Anthonysz and the attempted murder of two children at the Mission woman's Hatzic mobile home last April.
Walter Ramsay, 43, had originally been charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Just after 3 a.m. on April 17, 2015, Mission RCMP were called to Green Acres Mobile Home Park on Shook Road by Hatzic Lake after a trailer home went up in flames.
Once fire crews extinguished the blaze and were able to enter the trailer, the body of 33-year-old Eleanor Anthonysz was found inside.
An 11-year-old girl and eight year-old boy escaped the blaze. Witnesses at the time reported that the two children ran from the trailer with their hands still bound together with zip ties.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team was called in, and Ramsay was arrested the next day.
Ramsay pleaded guilty in Supreme Court in Chilliwack on Thursday. He will be sentenced at a later date. Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with those convicted not eligible for parole for a minimum of 10 years.
“This was a tragedy that affected the entire community of Mission with lasting effect on Eleanor’s family. We are greatly appreciative of the work of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team for all the work they have done to arrive at this outcome. It is our sincere hope that this will bring some closure to Eleanor’s family," Mission RCMP Insp. Ted De Jager said in a press release.