'Why did you take my mommy away?' Holly Hamilton's daughter asks at Dumpfrey sentencing

Warning: This story contains details readers might find distressing.

"Why did you take my mommy away from me?"

The words were handwritten in the large, looping letters of a child, the question asked by Holly Hamilton's daughter.

"I am very sad and angry and miss my mommy," she continued. "I hope you never get out of jail. I don't want to see you ever again."

The eight-year-old's victim impact statement was aimed at Justin Dumpfrey, her dad. He sat silently in Hamilton Superior Court on Thursday with his arms crossed, showing no visible reaction.

Her words were read by Hamilton police Sgt. Andrew Coughlan after assistant Crown attorney Amber Lepchuk, tears running down her face, said she couldn't.

Dumpfrey has been found guilty of second-degree murder in Hamilton's death. He admitted he killed the 29-year-old single mother, who was his on-again off-again girlfriend and died sometime between Jan. 14 and 15, 2018.

But the 35-year-old told the jury he acted in self defence.

During the trial, the court heard Hamilton had been stabbed 17 times.

Her body was discovered in the trunk of her work vehicle on Jan. 17, 2018, frozen and covered in blood, the police officer who found her testified.

Sentencing began Thursday with Lepchuk and defence lawyer John Erickson making submissions on an appropriate time before parole would be possible.

A conviction for second-degree carries a mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life, with a minimum of 10 years and maximum of 25 years before parole eligibility. 

The Crown argued throughout the trial that the killing was an act of domestic violence. That generally comes with a range of 12 to 17 years before parole, but Lepchuk argued for 20 years.

She pointed to eight factors, from his 15-page criminal record which includes 11 convictions for violence and two charges of assault against Hamilton, to her belief there was no evidence of remorse.