The Crown is seeking to have the young man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Delta's Laura Szendrei sentenced as an adult.

The killer was 17 when he committed the crime, so the Youth Criminal Justice Act shields his identity.

His sentencing hearing will be held Feb. 18 through 21, at which time Crown prosecutor Wendy Stephen will apply to have him sentenced as an adult.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, the teen entered his guilty plea at the end of a preliminary hearing last week in Surrey provincial court.

Szendrei died in hospital on Sept. 26, 2010, one day after she was beaten while walking along a path in the Mackie Park forest, in the 8200-block of 110th Street. She was 15 years old.

Szendrei's mother declined to comment.

If sentenced as an adult, the killer's sentence will be life in prison without eligibility to apply for parole for seven years.

If sentenced as a youth, he faces a seven-year sentence, with a maximum four of those years to be served in prison and the remainder in the community, under supervision.

Typically, adults convicted of second-degree murder get a life sentence with no eligibility to apply for parole for 10 to 25 years.

Tom Zytaruk, Carolyn Cooke