Alexander Pacteau today admitted he murdered Karen Buckley and tried to dispose of her body in an acid bath.
The 21-year-old repeatedly clubbed her with a spanner, strangled her and dumped her in a barrel of caustic soda.
He is believed to have lured Karen, 24, into his car outside a Glasgow nightclub by offering her a lift home.
Alexander Pacteau has admitted to the murder of Irish student Karen Buckley, 24, of Cork at the High Court in Glasgow pic.twitter.com/2zBen5hpi9
— Police Scotland (@policescotland) August 11, 2015
However, Pacteau drove to a secluded West End street and killed the Irish nurse within just 20 minutes of meeting her.
Pacteau's car
Police piecing together Karen's last movements found distressing evidence her body was plunged into a bath of caustic soda, in chilling echoes of a scene from hit US TV show Breaking Bad.
Pacteau placed Karen's body in his bath and covered it in the corrosive substance before cutting her open "to speed up decomposition".
Pacteau's house
The killing is disturbingly similar to a scene in the TV show where Walter White and his accomplice attempt to dissolve a body in a bath using acid.
Former private school pupil Pacteau, who initially denied the murder, changed his plea at the High Court in Glasgow today.
Popular Karen, who had recently moved to the city, disappeared while out with friends at the Sanctuary nightclub in Dumbarton Road in the early hours of April 12.
Her worried friends raised the alarm within hours which triggered a major search operation.
Police repeatedly appealed for information about Karen's whereabouts, but the investigation became a murder inquiry when her remains found in a barrel of "corrosive liquid" at High Craigton Farm, north of the city.
Karen's parents Marian and John were in court today, along with her older brothers Brendan, Kieran and Damian, to hear details of the horrific case.
Karen’s dad John previously told how the family were left "absolutely devastated" by her death.
He revealed: "Karen was our only daughter, cherished by our family and loved by her friends.
"She was an outgoing girl, who travelled the world where she met lots of people and thoroughly enjoyed her life.
"We will miss her terribly."
Karen Buckley's parents
Details of how Pacteau, who was educated at Kelvinside Academy, tried to cover up his crime were revealed in court today.
After meeting Karen in Dumbarton Road shortly after 1am, he lured her into his car with what prosecutors believe was the offer of a lift home.
CCTV cameras recorded him driving the occupational therapy student to Kelvin Way at 1.06am, where he parked his Ford car for 12 minutes and 46 seconds.
It was during that time that he hit Karen on the head with a spanner around a dozen times and strangled her.
He then drove Karen's body back to his flat in Dorchester Avenue.
Pacteau's bedroom
It also emerged in court today that Pacteau's flatmate and his flatmate's mother were in the property sleeping when he returned with Karen's body.
The following morning, Pacteau then began to cover his tracks.
He was spotted on CCTV in B&Q in Great Western Road and Poundstretcher in Crow Road buying litres of caustic soda.
On Monday April 13, Pacteau throws the murder weapon in the canal near his home and later buys a blue plastic barrel for hiding Karen's body.
Forth and Clyde Canal
He then wraps Karen's head in parcel tape, binds her body with an extension cable, and places her in the barrel.
After pouring another 40 litres of caustic soda into the container, he takes the barrel - and Karen's body - and hides it at High Craigton Farm.
High Craigton Farm
Caustic soda is an extremely corrosive substance.
Although Pacteau confessed to murdering Karen and disposing of his victim's body, he has yet to reveal why he took her life.
Police insiders say he has refused to disclose why he violently killed a young woman he had only known for around 20 minutes.
Detectives have also been left baffled as to why Karen left the nightclub without her jacket and got into Pacteau's car.
A source close to the murder probe said: "Only one person can tell us that and she isn't here anymore."
Detective Superintendent Jim Kerr, of the Specialist Crime Division Major Investigation Team West, who oversaw the inquiry, said Alexander Pacteau’s lies unravelled through a combination of information from the community, investigative work and forensic techniques.
Det Supt Kerr said: “From the moment Karen was reported missing, Police Scotland utilised a wide range of specialist officers to locate her. That effort combined search teams working closely with detectives, officers within Greater Glasgow Division and neighbouring divisions as the investigation sought to establish the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
“For Karen to have disappeared like that was so completely out of character and our investigation moved quickly as concerns for her safety escalated.
“Members of the public played a vital role in helping us unlock the circumstances of her disappearance and that led us to Alexander Pacteau. His actions left Karen’s family and friends devastated and impacted upon communities in both Scotland and Ireland.
“I would like to thank those members of the public who assisted our investigation by providing information which was critical in determining that Alexander Pacteau lied in his initial accounts to us.
“A significant amount of forensic investigation also helped to establish what really happened to Karen. The sheer weight of evidence we were able to gather has, I believe, led to today’s guilty plea. As a result, Karen’s family have been spared the further distress of a trial.
“Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”
Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, Major Crime and Public Protection, added: “The support for Police Scotland during the investigation into Karen’s disappearance and murder touched everyone involved. Messages of support were received from the public throughout and I believe that played a significant part in helping us prove that Alexander Pacteau was responsible for her death and ultimately to today’s guilty plea.
“Police Scotland is absolutely focused on keeping people safe. Our Major Investigation Teams were quickly mobilised to work alongside officers from other Police Scotland divisions and national resources to establish the full circumstances of Karen’s disappearance.
“Alexander Pacteau’s violent actions were unpredictable and extreme. Such incidents are rare in our communities; where such incidents do take place we will carry out professional, thorough and rigorous investigations to bring those responsible to justice.”
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