Bobby Andrew Weaver faced Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday for what was meant to be a pre-trial hearing.
The crown prosecutor instead asked Justice Rebecca Wilson to arraign Weaver on one count of murder.
Weaver said "guilty" when asked how he would plead to the charge of murdering David Charles Thornton some time between January 24 and March 10, 2019 at the Ipswich suburb of Goodna, west of Brisbane.
Weaver declined to say anything further to Ms Wilson.
Mr Thornton, 58, a retired maths and science teacher, was last seen near his Goodna home on February 22 and was reported missing by his family on March 12, 2019.
Police began digging in his yard over a weekend in late March.
On April 1, 2019 they excavated the freezer that contained human remains belonging to Mr Thornton.
Weaver, who was 24 at the time, was extradited to Queensland from NSW on April 3, 2019 following his arrest on the previous day at a Pacific Highway rest stop at Tyagarah, just north of Byron Bay.
He was due to face the start of a Supreme Court trial on July 27 this year.
Ms Wilson on Wednesday ordered Weaver continue to be remanded in custody and scheduled a review on April 8 to confirm a date for sentencing.
Weaver's barrister said she would seek a subpoena for her client's medical records to assist with sentencing.
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