Zahra Baker's stepmother pleads guilty to death

The stepmother of Australian girl Zahra Baker has pleaded guilty to her death, nearly a year after the 10-year-old disappeared in the US. She will serve a maximum of 18 years in prison.

Elisa Baker, 43, entered a courtroom in North Carolina overnight wearing a hot-pink jail jumpsuit and handcuffs.

She sat between two defense lawyers and teared up before pleading guilty to second-degree murder, with aggravating factors that included dismembering Zahra's body.

Baker also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, and to charges unrelated to Zahra, including obtaining property by false pretenses and financial identity fraud.

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