Bo Krister Olsson pleads guilty to double murder of his partner and her elderly mother at Millicent

A MILLICENT man has admitted murdering his partner and her elderly mother inside their home — a month before prosecutors were scheduled to file their brief of evidence against him.

Bo Olsson has admitted to murdering his partner and her elderly mother inside their home on Plunkett Ave at Millicent in May 2017. Picture: Facebook

A MILLICENT man has admitted murdering his partner and her elderly mother inside their home — a month before prosecutors were scheduled to file their brief of evidence against him.

Bo Krister Olsson on Wednesday appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to the murders of his partner, Sherril Pountney, and her mother, Patricia Phillips.

The bodies of Ms Pountney, 63, and Ms Phillips, 84, were found inside their home on Plunkett Tce in Millicent on May 15.

Police said the women had been killed up to four days before Olsson walked into the Berri police station and told officers they would find two bodies inside the bluestone home adjacent to the Millicent football oval.

Olsson, 53, was not scheduled to enter pleas to the murder charges until later this year.

However, his lawyer Mark Twiggs had the hearing brought forward to allow his client to enter an early guilty plea.

Mr Twiggs said Olsson had wanted to plead guilty several weeks ago, despite prosecutors having not filed declarations including forensic and witness statements.

“I requested that this matter be brought on, on the first of June for a plea, and the court could not find the file,” Mr Twiggs said.

“As soon as they found the file, they called my office and brought (the hearing) on.”

Olsson, who faced court via videolink dressed in a green prison T-shirt, said “yes, Your Honour”, after Magistrate Paul Foley asked him if wanted to enter two guilty pleas.

He silently gazed down into clasped hands for the remainder of the brief hearing, as prosecutors negotiated a date for him to repeat his admissions in the Supreme Court.

Forensic police examine the Millicent home where the bodies of Sherril Pountney and her mother Patricia Phillips were found in May 2017. Picture: Simon Cross

The court is yet to hear the circumstances of the double murder, including how Ms Pountney and Ms Phillips were killed, or Olsson’s motivation for the attack.

At the time of the grim discovery, Major Crime detectives said it was unclear whether Olsson was living at the home or visiting.

Police would only say the nature of the injuries were “clearly suspicious” and that a possible “disturbance” had occurred in the home on Thursday, May 11.

It also remains unclear what Olsson had done in the days before handing himself in to police, 440km away from the murder scene.

Olsson faces a mandatory head sentence of life in prison which carries a standard non-parole period of at least 20 years — unless a judge finds there were special circumstances, which can include early guilty pleas and co-operation with police.

Magistrate Paul Foley remanded Olsson in custody to face the Supreme Court in late July.