A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of murder for the death of a missing pregnant woman whose body was found in a burning travel trailer two years ago.

With the plea deal, Shannon Benson, 43, is looking at a presumptive sentence of 28 years for two charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Annysa M. Zierhut and her unborn child. She was to name her Grace, according to family.

Zierhut, 28 of Minneapolis, was discovered inside the burning trailer in Uptown near S. Hennepin Avenue and W. 35th Street on Nov. 8, 2021. Officials say she was seven months pregnant and had been reported missing in Anoka sometime between Oct. 29 and 31.

Her boyfriend told police that he attempted to find Zierhut with the Tile tracking app for lost keys. On Oct. 31, it led him to the area of S. 4th Avenue and E. 25th Street where he took a photo of the same trailer next to a Tahoe and shorter travel trailer.

Investigators say that Benson and his accomplice, Jade M. Rissell, 28 of Elk River, were living in the trailers there. But the pair moved the trailer with Zierhut's body inside to Uptown before lighting it on fire.

Rissell is accused of beating Zierhut to death with brass knuckles inside the trailer about a week earlier. They left the body in there for days until they moved it to the other location in Uptown.

Police determined the trailer was sold to Benson and Rissell in September, according to the charges, and they arrested them at the larger trailer where they resided.

Rissell told police they set the trailer on fire in order to conceal evidence. She said she lured Zierhut to the trailers over Facebook and then assaulted her and they never called 911.

Investigators let the defendants sit in a room together while being recorded, according to the charges. At that time, Rissell told Benson that she admitted to the killing. They both started to cry when Rissell told Benson to "make a bad joke."

"At least it's not a sex crime," Benson said.

"I'm going in for murder," Rissell said.

"Me, too," Benson replied.

Benson is a registered predatory sex offender with three convictions for sexual assault, while Rissell has been convicted twice for assault, among other offenses.

He will be sentenced March 9. His public defender declined to comment.

Rissell is slated to go on trial for murder later that month.

Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.