Hazel Ivy, the Galesburg woman accused of killing her 7-year-old daughter in January 2021 has taken a plea deal.
Ivy pleaded guilty in Knox County Court Thursday to first-degree murder and will face a sentencing range anywhere from 20 to 53 years.
Ivy killed her 7-year-old daughter, Willow Banks who was killed by strangulation and approximately 24 stab wounds to the face and upper body.
The court also found that Ivy was mentally ill at the time of the offense, but that finding will not impact her sentence.
State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin says his goal was to obtain a first-degree murder conviction in this case.
He believes he’s been successful in that Ivy is 30 years old and any lengthy sentence will “insure she dies in prison.”
Karlin says that Ivy’s murder of her daughter was the “most gruesome crime” he’s been involved with in his three-decade legal career.
He says as he prepared for this case, he saw signs of “significant trauma” in those connected to the case, such as witnesses, law enforcement, court personnel, and his own staff.
Karlin says after a hearing which settled which crime scene photographs jurors would see, he decided to seek a way to ensure a conviction without further traumatizing the involved parties or potential jurors.
Ivy will return to court to be sentenced on September 29 by Judge Andrew Doyle.
