Two women in Burlington, Ontario, are facing charges of first-degree murder, confinement, assault with a weapon, and failure to provide the necessities of life in a trial involving the death of a 12-year-old boy they had intended to adopt. The accused, Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber, pleaded not guilty in the ongoing trial. The victim, referred to as L.L. to protect his identity, passed away on December 21, 2022. The cause of his death has not been determined yet.
The trial, presided over by Justice Clayton Conlan, began with Crown attorney Kelli Frew’s statement alleging that the boys, L.L. and his younger brother J.L., were subjected to abuse and neglect instead of finding a loving and caring forever home. The boys were moved from their foster home in Ottawa to live with Cooney and Hamber in Burlington in 2017 under the supervision of Halton CAS.
It is reported that the boys were mistreated, confined, and subjected to various forms of abuse by Cooney and Hamber, including restrictive measures like wearing zip-tied clothes and limited food intake. Concerns were raised by individuals in the boys’ lives, such as a therapist and teacher, but they remained in the care of the accused for years.
On the night of the incident, Hamber alerted emergency services after L.L. was found unresponsive in a basement room. Despite efforts to save him, the boy passed away shortly after being taken to the hospital. Frew mentioned that the boys were treated with “clear hatred” by the accused.
Heather Walsh, a key witness, shared details about the boys’ behavior and her efforts to secure counseling for them, which were denied by CAS. Walsh emphasized the positive aspects of the boys’ personalities but also highlighted some challenging behaviors, particularly regarding L.L. The defense focused on the boys’ reluctance to live with Cooney and Hamber and the lack of support from CAS.
Walsh expressed her belief that with the right family, the boys could have had a different outcome. She suggested that if another family had adopted them, L.L. might still be alive.