A man entered guilty pleas Thursday in connection with the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife and a male friend of hers in a McDonald's on No. 3 Road and Granville Avenue.
Chang Xi Wang pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his ex-wife, Yan Lin, 36, and to the second-degree murder of Zhe Hu, 37.
The accused had originally been charged with the second-degree murder of Lin but pleaded guilty to the lesser and included offence of manslaughter.
The pleas were entered during a brief appearance before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Arne Silverman in Vancouver.
Wang sat quietly in the prisoner's dock with a Mandarin interpreter by his side.
Don Morrison, Wang's lawyer, told the judge that there would be an agreed statement of facts and possibly a joint book of authorities to deal with parole eligibility issues.
A 15-day jury trial had been scheduled to get under way March 18. The sentencing for Wang has been scheduled for March 28.
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 25 years of parole ineligibility. The only sentencing issue on the murder count will be parole eligibility.
Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of life in prison but usually results in a lesser jail sentence.
The two victims were stabbed to death in front of patrons and staff at the restaurant on No. 3 Road in Richmond on Aug. 28, 2009.
Wang, 33, was arrested soon after the slayings and has remained in custody since.
