A Barrie man charged in connection with a 1978 murder has pleaded guilty to improperly interfering with a dead human body.

In October 1978, Michael Traynor's body was found in a wooded area in Midhurst – his arms and legs were bound with copper wire. On Thursday, 79-year-old William Feldhoff pleaded guilty to the charge of improperly interfering with a dead human body in a Barrie court.

It was an emotional day for Traynor's family; his sister-in-law wiped away tears as she left the court house.

“I'm ok with the guilty plea, we all just want the justice done,” says Gail Traynor.

On Thursday, the court heard it was Feldhoff's idea to dump Traynor's body and to bind it in order to make it look like a gang style killing. An autopsy concluded Traynor was killed by gunshots to the chest.

Feldhoff was initially facing an accessory charge but his lawyer says he accepts responsibility for committing an indignity to Traynor's body.

“The reason for the guilty plea is because he did in fact interfere with the body of Michael Traynor,” says lawyer Bernard Cugleman. “It's much different from an accessory charge.”

Feldhoff’s son, Donald Feldhoff, is facing a first-degree murder charge. That case is still before the courts and the evidence is protected by a publication ban.

In July 2012, Donald turned himself into Barrie police for Traynor's murder and also tipped off investigators about an arsenal of weapons and explosives at his father's house on Virgilwood Crescent in Barrie, which lead to Feldhoff’s arrest.

Feldhoff was granted parole after serving his sentence for the illegal weapons, but has remained in custody for the Traynor case.

At one point the judge gave Feldhoff an opportunity to address the court. He broke down in the prisoner’s box as he read a prepared statement, saying he made the wrong decision that night in and apologized to Traynor’s family.

The family says it's far too late for an apology and they still have more questions than answers.

“Everything you hear in there, you just leave the courtroom more confused from the beginning,” says Traynor. “Mike is always on our mind, we can't sit beside Mike, we can't do anything with Mike.”

The Crown is asking for the maximum sentence of five years in jail, but the defence is asking for two years and is urging the judge to consider Feldhoff’s age, ailing health and the fact that he’s been in custody since his arrest in 2012.

Feldhoff will be sentenced in October.