The teenager admitted killing 15-year-old schoolgirl Elian Andam during morning rush hour in Croydon last year, but denied murder.
Elian was stabbed at around 8.30am on September 27 at a bus stop outside Whitgift Shopping Center in Wellesley Road, Croydon.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder when he appeared at the Old Bailey via video link.
Prosecutors did not accept the complaint, and a trial is scheduled to be held at the same court in November. The boy also denied possessing a knife in a public place.
The court heard that Elian had met up with two friends before he was stabbed.
The defendant was arrested in New Addington at 9:45 a.m. on the same day.
Following their daughter’s death, Elian’s father, Michael Andam, and mother, Dorcas Andam, issued a statement describing her as “the light of our lives.”
A week after her death, hundreds of people gathered in south London for a candle-lit vigil near the scene of her stabbing.
Before her funeral last year, Elian’s family said they were heartbroken by her murder, but that she “loved bringing joy to people’s lives” and that the funeral was a tribute to her time. He said he wanted it to be something to celebrate.
More than 2,000 people watched the ceremony via livestream.
A statement read out on behalf of Elian’s family by the Right Bishop Rosemary Mallett shortly after Elian’s death said:
“Our hearts are broken. And we are overwhelmed with sorrow and sorrow. Faith in the Lord strengthens us…
“Elian was a beautiful person who loved Jesus inside and out. She was intelligent, thoughtful, kind, and had a bright future ahead of her. Congratulations to our precious daughter Elian and our family. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”
Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, previously said: “This was, in the prosecution’s case, a brutal attack.”
