A 12-year-old Canadian boy allegedly spent his final moments screaming and trying to escape a locked basement, a court has heard. The boy, identified only as LL, was under the care of a lesbian couple, Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney, who were in the process of adopting him. Both women have pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, unlawful confinement, and assault with a weapon at a Milton, Ontario court.
According to prosecutors, LL was found on December 21, 2022, soaking wet, unresponsive, and severely emaciated in the basement of the couple’s Toronto-area home. Testimony revealed that he had allegedly been confined for hours, crying and screaming as he tried to escape. Social worker Faisel Modhi described how LL’s small cot was often covered in vomit and that the basement had not been properly cleaned.
The couple reportedly told Modhi that LL suffered from an eating disorder and would regurgitate his food. They admitted he weighed just 48 pounds but claimed it was due to vomiting. Modhi also testified that the women would make LL perform yoga poses or walk around the basement as a form of discipline. Court footage reportedly shows Hamber telling the boy to “lay down because he was being disrespectful,” while Cooney allegedly removed his blanket and told him to “calm down.”
LL’s younger brother, identified as JL, testified that both boys were subjected to years of abuse, including being forced to wear wetsuits and hockey helmets for hours, being locked in rooms overnight, and monitored by cameras. He said the couple would prohibit the boys from speaking for days, adding more days of silence if they disobeyed.
Prosecutors presented video evidence of LL in a wetsuit and helmet, sobbing and saying, “I only did one thing wrong, I can’t do them all night.” Witnesses noted that LL appeared physically like a six-year-old at the time of his death.
The boys had moved into the couple’s Burlington home in 2017 from a foster home in Ottawa. Defense lawyers claim the boys were prone to tantrums, property damage, and aggression toward the women. The trial is ongoing and expected to continue through December.
