An Australian gay man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a lover halfway through his trial.
David Richard Fraser, of Adelaide, admits strangling 28-year-old Luke Noonan during a sex act involving erotic asphyxia in September 2009.
Fraser, 36, initially denied murdering Mr Noonan but changed his plea today, The Age reports.
The South Australian Supreme Court heard that he had wrapped a belt around Mr Noonan’s neck during sex.
At the time of the younger man’s death, Fraser was on parole following a conviction for the manslaughter of another man during a sex game.
In 2005, he killed Shaine Moore during a consensual sex act. Fraser had tied a shoelace around Mr Moore’s neck.
Pleading guilty to manslaughter, he claimed that Mr Moore unexpectedly lost consciousness and died.
The Supreme Court was told about the 2005 case after prosecutors argued that it showed Fraser was aware of the risks of erotic asphyxiation.
The jury was dismissed today after Fraser’s guilty plea. He will return to court next month.
