"Perhaps there were more dark corners in our county than we realised" say those that covered the moment Victoria Hall's body was found in 1999.
Suffolk Strangler Steve Wright pleaded guilty to murdering Victoria Hall in a dramatic change of his plea on the first day of his trial on Monday.
The plea brings a 27-year hunt for Miss Hall's murderer to an end - a hunt that would eventually show Suffolk's 'darkest moment' on the international stage.
Terry Hunt, the editor-in-chief of the East Anglian Daily Times at the time of Miss Hall's murder, reflected on the case.
He said: "We believed, perhaps naively that, that appalling crimes like Victoria's murder simply don't happen in this part of the country. Sadly, we were proved wrong.
READ MORE: History of Suffolk serial killer Steve Wright after Victoria Hall plea
"There was a realisation that perhaps there were dark corners in our county that we were guilty of turning our backs on and we realised that a light needed to be shown on those dark corners."
Six years after Miss Hall's murder, five women were found dead across Ipswich over the span of ten days that Wright was eventually convicted of murdering.
Mr Hunt added: "It's a terrible shame that he couldn't take responsibility further and find the decency within himself to admit to that crime at the earliest opportunity.
"It's particularly sad that Victoria's mother, Lorinda, never lived to see this day which if Wright had accepted responsibility earlier, she would have done.
READ MORE: Timeline of Steve Wright's Suffolk murders including Victoria Hall
"I wonder whether Wright has now had a change of mindset and is prepared to take responsibility for his appalling actions and admit to killing the five women in 2006 which he consistently denies doing."
Jane Hunt, a court reporter for the EADT during the trial of Wright in 2006 added: "I was one of the only reporters in court at the time of the original trial, with the BBC and ITV, and the rest of the world's media were in an annexe court upstairs.
"There must've been about 50 journalists from all over the world there for it, including places like Australia and the USA. It was unusual to see that many people there. The case has always stuck in my mind."
Former Ipswich Star and EADT reporter Lynne Mortimer said: "I reported on the impact Victoria Hall’s murder had on her school friends and teachers.
"The terrible tragedy affected the whole community and broke the hearts of her family.
"I am glad her killer - a man who would go on to murder again and again - has now been brought to justice although it does not diminish the pain of Victoria’s loss to those who loved her."
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