Shocking details have emerged in a Canadian courtroom about the final, desperate moments of a 12-year-old boy who died while in the care of a couple finalising his adoption.
A Harrowing Ordeal in the Basement
The court in Milton, Ontario, heard that the child, identified only as LL, spent his last hours crying and screaming, trying to escape a locked basement. Prosecutors stated he kicked and punched the locked door, at one point pleading, 'This is not going to get any better.'
Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney, the lesbian couple seeking to adopt him, have pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, unlawful confinement, and assault with a weapon. The boy died on December 21, 2022.
He was discovered in the couple's Burlington home, located in the Toronto area, soaking wet, unresponsive, and emaciated. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Systemic Abuse and Neglect Revealed
Testimony from social worker Faisel Modhi painted a picture of severe neglect. The court heard that LL slept on a tiny cot that was frequently soiled with vomit. Modhi stated that Cooney's father, who lived with the couple, revealed the boy's sleeping area was not properly washed, only cleaned with a wipe.
The couple allegedly told Modhi that LL had an eating disorder and regurgitated his food. 'They admitted [he] was 48 pounds,' Modhi told the court, 'but stated it was because he would throw up food, chew it again and lick it off the floor.'
Witnesses testified that the boy was so emaciated he appeared to be six years old, not twelve. When he was in distress, the couple allegedly directed him to do yoga poses or walk around his basement room.
Brother's Testimony and Ongoing Trial
LL's younger brother, identified as JL, testified that he and his brother endured five years of torture. He claimed the women forced them to wear hockey helmets and wet suits for hours on end.
JL said the brothers were locked in their rooms at night while the couple monitored them with cameras. He also alleged they were often banned from speaking for days, with more days of silence added if they broke the rule.
The boys had moved into the couple's home in 2017 from a foster home in Ottawa. Defence lawyers for Cooney and Hamber have argued that the boys regularly threw tantrums, destroyed property, and were violent towards the women.
The trial continues and is expected to last until December.
