2 Teens Plead Guilty to Killing of North Texas Schoolmate

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — Two Dallas-area teens have pleaded guilty to murder in the strangling of a 17-year-old classmate in an apparent dispute over a girl.

A judge in McKinney on Tuesday continues hearing testimony on punishment for Brenden Bridges and Adam Staup. Both were 16 at the time of the March 2014 killing of 17-year-old Ivan Mejia (meh-HEE'-yah).

All three teens attended Wylie East High School. Bridges allegedly wanted to date the victim's girlfriend. Mejia's body was found in a stream near a Garland mall.

The Dallas Morning News reports Bridges and Staup, who last year were certified for trial as adults, entered their pleas Monday with no plea deals.

Both could get life in prison. Defense attorneys are seeking no more than 20-year terms.

Bridges is now 18. Staup is 17.

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