Lachlan Young appears in court after pleading guilty to murder of Hannah McGuire
Lachlan Young, 23, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his 23-year-old ex-partner, but changed his plea eight days into his Supreme Court trial.
Ms McGuire's body was found in a burnt-out car at Scarsdale, near Ballarat, in April last year.
Young appeared in the Supreme Court via video-link from the Metropolitan Remand Centre this morning and a three-day plea hearing was scheduled to start on October 27.
The court heard there could be "one or two small issues in regards to the facts" of the case, which the prosecution and defence would make submissions on during the plea hearing.
The prosecution also flagged there would be "a large number of victim impact statements" to be be tendered as part of the October plea hearing.
A plea hearing sets out all relevant information so a justice or judge can determine an appropriate sentence for the defendant.
Ms McGuire's friends and family cheered, hugged and cried in court after Young changed his plea to guilty last Friday.
Her parents, who run the National Hotel in Clunes, will hold a two-hour gathering at the pub tonight as a way to extend their "heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful community who has supported us through our darkest days and continues to do so".
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