The couple accused in the death of Loretta Saunders, a young Inuit woman killed last year, reversed course Wednesday and pleaded guilty to her murder on the day their trial was expected to begin.

Blake Leggette pleaded guilty in a Nova Scotia court to first-degree murder. He will get an automatic life sentence, with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

Victoria Henneberry also pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder, which carries a life sentence and no chance of parole for at least 10 years.

An agreed statement of facts says Leggette and Henneberry moved to Halifax last January, and sublet a room from Saunders. But when Saunders arrived to collect rent money on Feb. 13, 2014, they couldn鈥檛 pay.

The document says Leggette came up from behind Saunders, grabbing her by the throat and choking her. It says he tried to suffocate her with a plastic bag, which she tore through. It says Leggette then tried to use three plastic bags, but Saunders ripped those, too.

After that didn鈥檛 work, he hit her head on the floor twice and Saunders stopped moving.

Henneberry remained during the struggle, the document said. Leggette then placed Saunders' body in a hockey bag, put it in the trunk of Saunders' own car and the pair drove to Salisbury, N.B., where they dumped it in a treed area.

The couple used Saunders鈥� bank card and sent text messages from her phone, pretending to be her, according to the statement.

Leggette鈥檚 lawyer Tony Sheppard told reporters his client was aware what the sentence would be and that it was Leggette鈥檚 idea to plead guilty.

"He did not want to have the Saunders family go through the very gruelling process of a public trial with all of that evidence coming out,鈥� Sheppard said.

Crown Attorney Christine Driscoll told reporters it is rare to change a plea so late in the process, but she was pleased that 鈥減eople are taking responsibility for their actions.鈥�

Saunders鈥� family members, some of whom had travelled from Labrador for the hearing, smiled and hugged after they heard the news.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for next Wednesday, when family members will be get a chance to make victim impact statements.

Saunders, 26, was a student at Saint Mary's University, where her academic work focused on missing and murdered aboriginal women.

With files from The Canadian Press