Justin Bennett, a Calgary man, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for the beating and killing of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, Ivy Wick. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Due to credit for time served, he is eligible to apply for parole after around eight years.
The child was found unconscious in her room on Sept. 27, 2017 and was taken to Alberta’s Children’s Hospital. She had suffered a traumatic brain injury and underwent neurosurgery but died on Oct. 5, 2017. Initially, Bennett told police that he thought the child had hit her head after tripping and falling, however, medical professionals determined that her injuries were unlikely to be from a simple fall.
After launching a “Mr. Big” operation targeting Mr. Bennett and the child’s mother, Helen Woodsworth, police obtained a statement from Bennett admitting to inflicting the injuries on Ivy that led to her death. In this statement, Bennett admitted to punching the child in the head, throwing her against a wall, and then tripping her where she hit her head again. He told an undercover officer that he just wanted to “shut her up” but had ultimately killed her.
On Feb. 16, Court of King’s Bench Justice Blaire Nixon handed down the sentence. The judge emphasized the abhorrent nature of the crime and the breach of trust, stating that the sentence must reflect society’s revulsion for crimes against vulnerable children. Woodsworth delivered a victim impact statement at the sentencing, expressing her anguish over the loss of her child and the burden she now carries for the rest of her life due to Bennett’s actions.