A court in Ontario, Canada, has heard disturbing allegations that a foster couple referred to their 12-year-old foster son as 'the f***' before he died in their care in December 2022. Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber are on trial for first-degree murder, unlawful confinement, and assault with a weapon, to which they have pleaded not guilty.
Disturbing Text Messages Revealed in Court
The trial, reported by CBC, was presented with a series of text messages between the accused women and others. In one exchange from November 20, 2022, Cooney wrote to her father: 'Can you wake the f***,' referring to the boy, identified only as L.L. When her father noted the child seemed 'drunk' and was stumbling, Cooney dismissed it as 'a fake fall for sympathy.'
Later that same day, her concern appeared to grow as she told Hamber he might need hospital care. Hamber responded by text: 'Guess the stupid choices are really getting him. No sleep, starving, dehydrated, and no poo...the perfect storm.' She added, 'We're doing the best we can do.'
A Life of Alleged Torment and Neglect
The court heard that L.L. was found soaking wet, unresponsive, and emaciated on December 21, 2022. He weighed less than he did at six years old. Testimony revealed he spent his final moments screaming and trying to escape a locked basement.
His brother, J.L., now 13 and a key prosecution witness, testified the couple forced them to wear hockey helmets and wet suits for hours. He said they were bound with zip ties and subjected to days of enforced silence as punishment.
Texts shown in court also revealed the couple's anger towards the child welfare system. After the Children's Aid Society (CAS) contacted them because J.L. reported having his hands tied, Cooney wrote: 'We can’t keep doing this where [the boys] kill us and try to kill themselves and we do what we can and get called shit abusers,' before adding, 'I might kill him.'
Systemic Failures and a Doctor's Visit
The siblings, who are Indigenous, began living with Hamber and Cooney in Ontario in 2017. The couple had planned to adopt them, but the process was never finalised. The trial has highlighted potential failures in oversight.
Shockingly, during a medical appointment on December 13, 2022—just eight days before L.L.'s death—the family doctor, Dr. Graeme Duncan, described the boy as 'normal' despite having lost 10lbs in a year.
Social worker Stefanie Peachey told the court she had recorded 'yellow flags', including seeing the surviving brother zip-tied into his pyjamas. Another social worker, Faisel Modhi, testified that L.L.'s cot was frequently soiled with vomit and only cleaned with a wipe.
The trial continues.
