CATwo women from Burlington, Ontario, Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney, are undergoing a sentencing hearing after being convicted of first-degree murder and other charges related to the abuse and death of two Indigenous boys in their care. The pair were found guilty in early May 2026 of killing a 12-year-old boy they were attempting to adopt and of unlawfully confining and abusing his younger sibling. The older boy, who was severely underweight, died in the basement of their home in 2022. His younger brother, who survived, was removed by child welfare services and testified during the trial about enduring years of physical and emotional abuse, including being locked in his room for extended periods and denied food. Court documents revealed the boy described being forced to wear a wetsuit secured with zip ties, causing severe injuries to his feet. In his written ruling, Justice Clayton Conlan stated that Hamber and Cooney harbored hatred and resentment toward the children for not meeting their expectations. The defendants' legal team argued that they did not intend to harm the children, who they claimed had behavioral challenges.
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