Jessica Johnson of Whitehorse pleaded guilty Sept. 9 to shooting at RCMP Cpl. Kim MacKellar, but she pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder the officer.

Johnson also pleaded guilty to three other charges arising from a robbery at Madley's General Store in Haines Junction on Sept. 26, 2011 and a subsequent high-speed highway chase.

The guilty pleas came on the first morning of the scheduled four-week trial, an hour before the selection of the jury to try Johnson, 23, and Chris Cornell, 31.

The charges against each of the accused included two counts of attempted murder and using violence and bear spray to steal a safe from Madley's General Store in Haines Junction.

A publication ban on Johnson's guilty pleas was ordered by Yukon Supreme Court Justice Leigh Gower in order to ensure the jury was not made aware of the pleas before hearing the Cornell case.

The publication ban was put in place until the jury retired Thursday to decide the verdict on the eight charges against Cornell.

Cornell was pronounced guilty last night on both counts of attempted murder, using violence to rob Madley's and several other criminal charges.

The jury was sequestered Thursday following the judge's review of the evidence presented over the last three weeks.

Gower also explained the law, and what the Crown prosecutor had to establish before the jury could find Cornell guilty on each of the charges.

No date has been set for Johnson's sentencing.

Johnson pleaded guilty to:

• shooting at MacKellar and Shane Oakley to evade arrest;

• wounding the RCMP officer while he was carrying out his duties;

• using a rifle while fleeing from a robbery or attempted robbery; and

• using violence against custodian Frank Parent while stealing a safe from Madley's.

Johnson pleaded not guilty to:

• attempting to murder MacKellar;

• attempting to murder Oakley;

• firing a bullet into the fully-marked RCMP crew cab, knowing that somebody was in the truck.

• using bear spray to assault Madley's custodian;

• failing to stop her vehicle while it was being pursued by an RCMP officer.

The jury heard how Parent was jumped and doused with bear spray while he was sweeping up before the store opened.

He staggered to the office phone and called the police while Johnson and Cornell struggled unsuccessfully to load the store's safe into the back of the black Chevrolet Blazer parked outside.

The 32-kilometre chase along the Alaska Highway from Madley's toward Destruction Bay began when MacKellar and Oakley arrived at the store in the RCMP crew cab.

It ended when a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle exploded through the windshield of MacKellar's truck.