‘Why did you take my mommy away from me?’ Court hears victim impacts statements by Holly Hamilton’s family

Convicted murderer Justin Dumpfrey listened to the words of his daughter that were read out in court today. She asked why he took her mother away. Dumpfrey brutally murdered Holly Hamilton four years ago, and will soon learn how long he’ll spend in jail, before being eligible for parole. Hamilton’s family cried in court, sharing their victim impact statements.

Holly Hamilton, 29, was stabbed 17 times by the father of her child, Justin Dumpfrey. He killed her, likely in the bathroom of this Barton St. apartment, with their young daughter also in the small unit.

On Thursday, the convicted murderer sat in court. He didn’t appear to have much of a reaction when the mother of his ex-girlfriend stood and spoke about her beloved daughter. “To know Holly was to love her” she started off by saying through tears. She said Holly had a beautiful soul and a kind spirit but under that smile “she feared for her life.”

Holly’s family and friends shared how the murder has impacted their lives. Holly and Dumpfrey’s daughter wrote a statement to be shared in court. Crown attorney Amber Lepchuk tried to read the little girl’s statement out loud, but she was overcome by emotion. Someone stepped in to do it for her. “You are not my daddy. Why did you take my mommy away from me?” the child wrote. Going on to say, “I hope you never get out of jail. I never want to see you ever again.”

Second-degree murder is an automatic life sentence but the judge will have to decide how long before Dumpfrey is eligible for parole. It could be as early as 10 years, or as long as 25.

The crown is asking for 20 years, noting that domestic murderers usually get between 12 and 17 years of parole ineligibility. Thursday, the crown attorney called this a particularly ‘brutal’ and ‘savage’ murder an act of unspeakable rage.

Dumpfrey cleaned the blood from his apartment, carried Holly’s body outside, put her in the trunk of her work car, and drove the car to an underground parking lot. He threw away the murder weapon, and he took off to a homeless shelter the next day using a fake name. These are all aggravating factors according to the crown, as to why he should be in prison longer. He tried to cover it up she said adding that he has never shown any remorse.

Defence lawyer John Erickson argued that Dumpfrey had a rocky childhood and was physically abused. He is asking the judge to consider ineligibility for 12 to 14 years instead. When asked if he had anything to say, Dumpfrey said his lawyer covered it all.

The judge will come back with his decision on April 8th.