WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse and sexual abuse.
The trial involving an Ontario couple accused in the death of one boy and allegedly torturing his brother is nearing its conclusion this week, with co-accused Becky Hamber set to return to the stand.
Hamber has already undergone four days of questioning from both her lawyer and the Crown. Since January 12, she has responded to inquiries about how they treated the boys while insisting that she loved them and did nothing harmful during their adoption process.
Last month, Cooney also took the stand for several days. The couple had been in the process of adopting two brothers before one was discovered dead in their Burlington home’s basement.
The identities of the Indigenous boys are protected under a publication ban. In our coverage, we refer to the older boy, who was 12 when he died on December 21, 2022, as L. L., and his younger brother as J. L.
Hamber, 46, and Cooney, 44, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder regarding L. L., along with charges of confinement, assault with a weapon – zip ties – and failing to provide necessities for J. L. The judge-alone trial began in mid-September at Milton Superior Court under Justice Clayton Conlan.
The Crown claims that Hamber and Cooney abused and neglected the boys after they had been living with them for about five years following time spent with foster parents in Ottawa.
Paramedics found L. L. unresponsive on his bedroom floor in the basement, which was locked from outside. Witnesses noted he appeared so severely malnourished that he looked like a six-year-old despite being twice that age. He passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital.
A key question during this trial has been why L. L. experienced such severe malnourishment during his final year. A pathologist previously testified that malnourishment might have contributed to his death.
Both Cooney and Hamber have stated they didn’t deny food as punishment.
L. L., left, was 16 months older than J. L., court has been told. They’re shown in a photo from years earlier. (Ontario Superior Court in Milton)
During Hamber’s testimony on Monday, the Crown showed a video from August 2021 featuring L. L., wearing a wetsuit and red mittens while crying out for food repeatedly saying “It’s not fair. I’m hungry.”
The Crown pointed out that this video depicted him as extremely thin; while standing at the top of a staircase, you could see his neck bones clearly. Hamber claimed she didn’t notice this and wasn’t concerned since his weight tended to vary.
Hamber stated she didn’t believe L. L. was at risk and mentioned she was trying to get him into an eating disorders clinic located in Oakville.
Crown lawyer Kelli Frew questioned why Hamber focused on this specific clinic despite L. L.’s acceptance into an eating disorder therapy program offered in fall 2022 that Hamber declined.
Hamber explained that based on her research at that time, she thought her approach was correct.
She asserted she always provided enough food for L. L., attributing his weight issues to an eating disorder for which he had no formal diagnosis.
Texts referred to boy as ‘loser’ and ‘it’
An important piece of evidence discussed throughout this trial includes text messages exchanged between both women-many scrutinized due to how they referred to the boys.
Hamber testified her messages-like “Drown em in their poo” or “Is it wrong to want my child to leave?”-came from frustration rather than hate.
Police recovered deleted text conversations showing Cooney and Hamber referring to L. L. and J. L. using terms like “f-face,” “loser,” or “it.”
“I’m deeply ashamed,” said Hamber about these messages written out of dark humor over many years.
“I can’t believe I let myself do that. I’m disgusted with myself,” she added while explaining how much sleep she’s lost since those texts surfaced during the trial.
Hamber defends dressing boys in wetsuits
The prosecution alleges that Hamber and Cooney locked children in their rooms overnight for up to 18 hours using zip ties alongside wetsuits or hockey helmets as restraints.
While admitting some discomfort with restraining methods used on children like putting them into zip-tied wetsuits seemed unconventional but insisted it was necessary for safety measures approved by Children’s Aid Society (CAS).
Although uncomfortable sometimes having restrained them, Hamber claimed it aimed preventing self-harm or damage caused by others around them.
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L. L. inhisbedroomwearingawetsuitinaphotodated March192022.(Ontario Superior Courtin Milton)
Pushed by Frew why she’d choose zip-ties over alternatives; Hambertoldthatneitherboyevercomplainedaboutthatandaddedheraimwaspreventingthemfromstranglingthemselveswiththeirclothes. Deschickeningbeingputintoawetsuitwaslikegivingahug. Herreasonsseemedunusualtothe Crownwhohighlightedmessagesfrom Cooneymakingtheuseoftheseitemseasierforcleaninguponanyaccidentsduringthenightwhentheywetthemselvesbut Hambergaveanotherperspectiveonthisaswellclaimingthatthezip-tieswerealsomeanttoprotect L.’sgenitalsagainstexcessivemasturbationwhileundercare.
Doubts raised about tantrums’ severity
A notable part of testimony involved Hambergivingaccountsdescribinghowintenseanddestructive tanrumsofherboyscouldbe. Infact, shewentsofarastostateithadeffectoftensofthousandsindamagesacrossproperty. Givenwhatshesaidaboutinjuries, suchashavingbrokenarmsandfingers, crownlawyer Kelli Frewraiseddoubtsaskingwhy Hambernottedto X-rayherbrokenarmoriftherewererecordsdocumentedpertainingtoinjuriesbroughtupin-court. Hambersaidthattakingcareofthelittleoneswasherpriority.”Ijustdidnothaveittime”.
The Crownexpresseddoubtonthisnarrative. Frewcontendedthattestsindicatesactionsweremore exaggeratedbeyondrealitieswhich Hambersaidwasn’ttrueat all.![]()
Crownlawyermoni Mac Kenzieleftquestioned Cooneyin Miltoncourton Dec9.(Pam Davies/CBC)
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As Hamber’sdefenselawyer Monte Mac Gregorinterrogatedlastweek, thejudgeaskedwhyshedidn’tattemptreturnkids. Citing,”We loved our kids”, sheexplainedthey didnotwanttogiveuponchildren. However, shemadeclearalthoughno longerbelievingtheyhadbeenabusedsexuallyfearstillcamebacktome. Notably, CASpoliceinvestigatedclaimsforthisnaturefindingnothingsubstantiating. JLtestifiedagainstthetwo womenallegedlypressuringhimand LLtotelllieswhichdefensecontroverted.
Hamerissettoreturntowitnessstandboth Thursday Fridayanticipatedendproceedingsbeforefinalargumentsbegininspringtime. CBCwillmaintainlivecoverageonthetrialonbothdaysstartingbeforecourtresumesat9a. m. ET.
Ifyou’reaffectedbyreportseekmentalhealthsupportthroughresourcesinyourprovinceorterritory.
Ifyou’reindangerorfearforsafety, youdon’thesitatecall911. Lookforcrisislineslocalservicesvial Ending Sexual Violence Association Canadaresource.
If you would like other support options here are some help resources:
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