A man accused of killing a Whitehorse taxi driver last June has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Originally, Mike Dale Hamilton, 24, had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He had also waived his right for a preliminary hearing, where the judge would have determined if there was enough evidence to go to trial.

Hamilton was arrested in connection to the death of 5th Avenue driver Brian Wheldon. He was supposed to be in Yukon Supreme Court yesterday to have a date set for his trial.

Instead, he changed his plea to guilty of the lesser charge and will now skip a trial altogether.

Hamilton kissed his little daughter before being seated beside the lawyer in court representing him.

His admission of guilt means he will go straight to a sentencing, and will learn of his fate on April 20, when he goes before a Supreme Court judge.

Hamilton will have to undergo a psychological assessment before that date.

He could face life imprisonment. The minimum sentence is 10 years.

His sentencing will be scheduled for two days as lawyers will need the time to present the circumstances surrounding the murder.

Wheldon's body was found on Range Road near the Mountain View Golf Course entrance.

He was 68 years old.

Originally, Hamilton's preliminary hearing was scheduled for seven days as there could have been as many as 54 people called to testify.

Meanwhile, Edward Mason, 65, charged with second-degree murder, was also in court Tuesday to schedule a date for trial.

The last two weeks of July 2005 were set aside for the trial, to be held in Watson Lake.

The grey-haired accused walked into court hunched over, attired in a red Whitehorse Correctional Centre uniform.

Mason is accused of shooting 43-year-old Germain Arthur Gaulin, a bartender at the Upper Liard Lodge.

Gaulin, who knew Mason, was killed inside a cabin about 25 kilometres northwest of Watson Lake last April.

A lone male surrendered without incident after the RCMP's tactical unit surrounded the cabin.

Police seized a gun at the scene, and alcohol has been determined to have been a factor.