BROOMFIELD, Colo.—A man suspected of killing a middle school student who was reported as a runaway in 2008 has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Alexander Paul Pacheco entered his plea Monday in Broomfield. Charges of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, and abuse of a corpse are being dropped.
The 19-year-old also pleaded guilty to one count of intimidation of a witness over an alleged threat made while he was in jail.
Prosecutors allege Pacheco bragged to his friends about choking and stabbing 13-year-old Kelsey Shannon. She was a witness in a pending theft case against Pacheco when she disappeared on Oct. 14, 2008. Her body was found in January 2009.
Other charges against Pacheco, including the theft charge, were dropped.
