SAINT MARY'S COUNTY, Md. -- A Maryland teenager who prosecutors say wanted his mother and stepfather shot to death admitted taking part in the crime Friday, the day his trial was to begin.

Corey Ryder, 17, appeared in court in Saint Mary's County, Md. and admitted his involvement in the plot.

Prosecutors say the teen requested that his mother and stepfather be shot to death and offered his stepfather's new pickup truck as payment.

"When he was asked specifically about how he wanted it to be done, I believe he used the phrase 'two bullets ought to do it'," said Julie White, assistant state's attorney.

According to court documents, the mother of one of Ryder's friends overheard him talking about having his mother killed. The police sting soon began.

Ryder went to a hotel in Lexington Park in June at age 16 to meet an undercover police officer posing as a hit man, prosecutors say.

David Hayden lives next to Ryder's home in the Valley Lee area.

"It's kind of a shock," Hayden said. "I wouldn't know how to take that if my child were to think that way."

Ryder is being prosecuted as a juvenile. He now faces a maximum of four years in a juvenile detention center. He could not be held past age 21.

"Is he gonna be rehabilitated?" Hayden asked. "I mean, is he going to be able to function in society without thinking those thoughts? After the fact, is he going to be a changed person when he comes out? That's my concern."

Ryder told juvenile services he was angry he had been kicked out of the family home in April because he says he dropped out of school.

Despite the serious allegations against him, Ryder's mother and stepfather met with him briefly right after Friday's hearing.

"I think that they love him a whole lot and that hopefully through his therapy he'll get to the point where he understand that what he's done is wrong and they've rebuilt some trust so that they can have some sort of relationship," White said.

Ryder's attorney declined to talk about the teenager's version of events.

Ryder will return to court at the end of the month to learn his sentence.