Two Ontario women have been found guilty of first-degree murder and multiple other offences in the death of a 12-year-old Indigenous boy and the abuse and confinement of his younger brother in a case that shocked communities across Canada.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan delivered the verdict Tuesday in Milton, convicting Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney after concluding the couple subjected the boys to years of abuse, neglect and cruelty while attempting to adopt them.
The court heard the brothers were placed in the women’s care in 2017 after leaving another foster home. According to the judge’s written ruling, the women “hated” and “deeply resented” the children, using degrading language toward them and intentionally depriving them of care, food and freedom.
The older boy died in December 2022. Justice Conlan wrote that the child was so severely malnourished that first responders initially struggled to believe the “razor-thin boy” they found was 12 years old.
The surviving brother, now 13, testified during the trial and described years of abuse inside the family’s Burlington home. Evidence presented in court detailed allegations of confinement, food deprivation and physical mistreatment, including being locked inside a bedroom and forced to wear a wetsuit secured with zip ties.
In his ruling, Justice Conlan rejected the defence argument that the women had no intention of harming the boys and that the older child’s condition was linked to an eating disorder. The judge said both accused provided testimony filled with contradictions and lacking credibility.
Outside court, Crown attorney Monica MacKenzie described the case as “exceptionally tragic,” saying no verdict could undo the suffering endured by the children and their family.
Defence lawyer Monte MacGregor said his client Becky Hamber maintains her innocence and indicated the defence will review possible grounds for appeal. He also criticized what he described as broader systemic failures involving child protection agencies and oversight bodies.
The boys’ mother, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, released a statement saying the verdict represents “the first step down a very long path,” adding that while justice had been delivered, nothing could bring her son back.
A sentencing hearing will take place at a later date. Under Canadian law, a conviction for first-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.