Canadian Couple On Trial After Adopted 12-Year-Old Dies At 48 lbs; Prosecutors Allege 18-Hour Confinement

Becky Hamber, 45, and Brandy Cooney, 43, are on trial in Canada on first‑degree murder charges after a 12‑year‑old boy they were adopting died weighing just 48 pounds, Crown prosecutors say.

Allegations Presented at Trial

Prosecutors told the court that the boy and his younger brother were routinely confined to their bedrooms for roughly 18 hours a day. The Crown says the children were monitored by video cameras and were forced to wear wetsuits that were reportedly secured with zip ties, limiting their ability to remove the garments without assistance.

While confined, the boys were allegedly made to perform physical tasks — including burpees, wall sits and walking laps — or read silently. Prosecutors say those exercises were used punitively; they cited a text message that Cooney allegedly sent to Hamber on Christmas Eve:

"Tell them good luck figuring out burpees in the shower when they bitch about never having food."

At the time, the siblings were about 10 and 8 years old.

Surviving Brother's Testimony and Medical Evidence

The surviving younger brother testified that the family posted images of gourmet meals online while he and his sibling were given pureed food. He told jurors he watched the older boy deteriorate from what he described as "severe malnutrition" in the weeks before the boy died on Dec. 10, 2024.

Dr. Emma Cory, a pediatrician called by the Crown as an expert witness, testified that the victim weighed 48 pounds at death — less than he had weighed at age six. The surviving brother also testified the older child’s weight fell as low as 43 pounds at one point.

Defence Account

Cooney took the stand in her own defence and acknowledged the extended confinements but portrayed herself and Hamber as overwhelmed caregivers. She said the children had significant developmental challenges linked to early trauma and that restraints such as wetsuits, zip ties and sometimes helmets were used out of concern the boys might self‑harm. Cooney also testified the boys sometimes regurgitated meals, which she said contributed to low weight.

Cooney said the measures were intended to protect both the children and the adults, and described repeated incidents of aggression toward the women over the years. She told the court one alleged shove by a child led to Hamber fracturing her arm; the Crown noted there was no medical record for that injury around the time it was said to have occurred.

Legal Status

Both Hamber and Cooney have pleaded not guilty. Hamber is expected to testify in January 2026. The allegations in this matter remain claims to be proven in court.