Homeless woman pleads guilty to stabbing deaths of Canadian tourists

Court appointed public defender, Holly Bitters, left, stands with Antoinette Pelzer during her arraignment, in Mays Landing, N.J., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. (The Press of Atlantic City, Danny Drake)

MAYS LANDING, N.J. -- A homeless woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the fatal stabbings of a Canadian mother and daughter who were visiting Atlantic City last year.

The Press of Atlantic City reports 45-year-old Antoinette Pelzer entered her pleas Friday afternoon.

Authorities say Pelzer stabbed 80-year-old Po Lin Wan and 47-year-old Alice Mei See Leung to death during a robbery attempt in May 2012. Pelzer allegedly attacked Leung with a butcher knife then turned on Wan when she tried to intervene. The Scarborough, Ontario women each died at a hospital.

Pelzer's public defender previously said her client had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Pelzer, of Philadelphia, could face two consecutive life sentences under the terms of her plea agreement. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 24.