Couple Convicted of Murder in Adopted Boy's Death

In Ontario, a couple has been convicted of first-degree murder following the death of a 12-year-old boy they were in the process of adopting. Becky Hamber, 46, and Brandy Cooney, 44, were also found guilty of charges including confinement and assault concerning their treatment of the deceased child and his 10-year-old brother.

Justice Clayton Conlan's decision, rendered on May 5, 2026, detailed how the women confined the victim to his basement bedroom for 18 hours daily and deprived him of food. He noted that this behavior "demonstrated an intention to kill the boy." The victim died weighing only 48 pounds, a detail that led defense attorneys to compare him to a "Holocaust survivor."

Prosecutors presented evidence of the couple's alleged abuse, including text messages and security camera footage. Cooney claimed the boys had developmental issues stemming from trauma, but Justice Conlan found the women's testimony contradictory. The surviving brother testified that his sibling died from "severe malnutrition" in the weeks before his death on December 10, 2024.