GALESBURG, Ill. — Hazel Ivy, 30, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her 7-year-old daughter, Willow Banks, a Knox County judge ruled Thursday.
The 7-year-old was found dead on Jan. 24, 2021, with multiple knife wounds after police responded to an unknown problem.
In a plea hearing, Knox County State's Attorney Jeremy Karlin informed the court Ivy's guilty plea was made so she would serve 100% of any sentence imposed. Ivy's sentence is in the range of 20 to 53 years and she will serve in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Knox County Judge Andrew Doyle agreed to the limitation and found that the guilty plea was knowingly and voluntarily made. Ivy's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29, according to online court records.
The court also found there was a "sufficient factual basis" that Ivy was mentally ill at the time of the murder, but the finding had no effect on the sentence the court imposed in the case.
"My goal, in this case, was to obtain a conviction for first-degree murder and see that Ivy spend the rest of her days in the Illinois Department of Corrections," Karlin said in a statement Thursday. "The agreement reached in this case achieves that goal. Because Ivy is 30 years old, any lengthy sentence will [ensure] that she dies in prison."
Karlin went on to say Thursday's agreement reached certified the conviction while eliminating the need to further traumatize people working on the case.
"I can say now that this was [the] most gruesome crime I have been involved with in my nearly thirty-year career. As I prepared for the trial, I began to see signs of significant trauma in those people connected to the case: witnesses, law enforcement, court personnel, and my own attorneys and staff. I worried about the effect the trial could have on those selected as jurors. It was after the hearing at which we finalized the photographs from the crime scene and autopsy that I decided to see if there was a way to fully achieve my goal [of] seeing Ivy spend the rest of her life in prison," read part of Karlin's statement.
