The chilling details emerged slowly, a horrifying portrait of a life extinguished and a family fractured. A twelve-year-old boy, a foster child, was discovered lifeless on December 21, 2022, his small frame wasted away, clad in a cold, wet wetsuit. His death launched a harrowing investigation, ultimately leading to accusations of murder against Becky Hamber and her wife, Brandy Cooney.
But the most disturbing revelation wasn’t the alleged crime itself, but the chilling self-absorption at its core. Recordings and videos presented in court revealed Hamber’s relentless focus – not on the lost child, but on her own perceived suffering. A torrent of complaints, a litany of grievances, all centered on the injustice *she* faced.
The two brothers, their identities protected, had been removed from their birth parents as infants, seeking stability and a loving home. They arrived at Hamber and Cooney’s Burlington residence in 2017, promised a “forever family.” Both boys carried the weight of early trauma and complex mental health challenges, vulnerabilities that would tragically be exploited.
The younger brother’s testimony painted a bleak picture of isolation and control. He described a life confined to his room, spending 92% of his time within its walls. His meals consisted of pureed food, and punishments involved relentless physical exertion – marching up and down stairs while wearing a hockey helmet. A zip-tied tent became his nightly prison, a desperate attempt to control his movements, even in sleep.
The day the older boy was found unresponsive, Hamber called 911, claiming he had choked. His brother was soon removed from the home, and the women were arrested in January 2023, facing a cascade of abuse charges. Within a month, those charges escalated to first-degree murder. Despite the mounting evidence, both women maintain their innocence.
Evidence presented by the Crown revealed a pattern of verbal abuse, the boys routinely dismissed with derogatory names. But the most damning evidence came from Hamber’s own recordings, made after her arrest. She lamented her “persecution,” the restrictions on her freedom, and the agonizing separation from her wife, framing herself as the true victim.
In one recording, the boy’s death was relegated to a mere footnote, a tragic “happening.” She spoke of her life being “totally gone,” of being handcuffed and imprisoned, her world irrevocably shattered. A conspiracy theory took root in her mind – that the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) was manipulating the surviving brother, using his trauma to cover up their own alleged errors.
Hamber attempted to justify the horrific conditions the younger boy endured. The zip-tied tent, she claimed, was to prevent nighttime binges or harm to the family pets, removed only after a child welfare worker raised safety concerns. The hockey helmet, she insisted, was a calming measure, not a punishment. Each explanation felt like a desperate attempt to rewrite reality, to deflect blame.
On the six-year anniversary of the boys’ arrival, Hamber declared she had “no regrets, no guilt, no blame.” Instead, she pointed fingers at the CAS and the boys’ school, accusing them of failing to provide adequate support. The responsibility, she asserted, lay entirely with others. The chilling refrain echoed throughout the trial: it was never her fault.
As the trial progresses, the world waits to hear testimony from Cooney, hoping for a glimpse into the dynamics of this fractured family and the tragic events that unfolded. The case stands as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of unchecked narcissism and the profound vulnerability of children in the care of others.
