HamiltonThe murder trial for a Burlington, Ont., couple heard for the first time from the younger brother of a 12-year-old who died while the two were working to adopt the boys. In a video played in court, the boy tells police the women used to restrain him with zip ties during his tantrums, would force him and his older brother to wear wetsuits, and would lock them in their rooms at night. Brother of 12-year-old who died in 2022 testifies for 1st time at Brandy Cooney, Becky Hamber trialJustin Chandler · CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2025 2:17 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.J.L. and L.L., left to right, are shown in an undated photo filed as a court exhibit. Their Burlington, Ont., teachers described them as clever, curious and eager students. (Ontario Superior Court in Milton)WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.For the first time, the horrific murder trial of a Burlington, Ont., couple heard from the brother of the 12-year-old who died while the women were in the process of adopting the boys.J.L., as he’s referred to for our coverage of this trial since the boys’ identities are protected under a standard publication ban, is now 13. His brother, L.L., was 12 when he died on Dec. 21, 2022. In Superior Court in Milton on Wednesday, Crown lawyers played a recording of an interview J.L. gave Halton regional police in January 2023. In the video, the boy, then 10, tells police that Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber used to restrain him during his tantrums by binding him with zip ties and putting a hockey helmet on his head. He also said the couple would force him and L.L. to wear wetsuits and lock them in their rooms at night, monitoring the boys with security cameras.Cooney and Hamber have pleaded not guilty to murder in the trial that began in mid-September. They’ve entered the same plea related to charges of confinement, assault with a weapon — zip ties — and failing to provide the necessaries of life to J.L.Called by the Crown, J.L. testified by video from a separate room in the courthouse. Two workers and a support dog named Nelson were there to help him if needed. Younger brother testifying from separate roomThe Crown argues Hamber and Cooney, who the Indigenous boys called mom and mama, respectively, abused and neglected the children.The trial has heard paramedics found L.L. unresponsive, soaking wet and lying on the basement floor of his bedroom, which was locked from the outside. Witnesses said he was so severely malnourished and emaciated that he looked as if he could be six years old, even though he was twice that age. He died shortly after in hospital.The women’s respective lawyers argue the couple were doing their best to care for children with high needs and significant behavioural problems, with little help from the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) and service providers.Witnesses including first responders, medical experts, teachers, therapists and doctors have testified at the judge-alone trial, which is expected to continue until at least early December. In the police video, J.L. seems friendly, articulate and self-aware. Before starting the interview, he offers gum he had to Det. Julie Powers and a CAS worker who sat in on the discussion.When Powers asks how he’s been doing, J.L. says his anxiety had been making him nauseous, and that while he was typically a good sleeper, he’d been sleeping poorly since his sibling’s death.Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney, left to right, as seen on their wedding day, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. (Becky Hamber/Facebook )J.L. describes following a schedule when he lived with Hamber and Cooney, exercising daily and having set windows in which he and L.L. could do activities such as reading or colouring. The house rules were, “Be respectful. Be honest. Be grateful,” he told Powers.At least nine times, J.L. says, the couple would restrain him when he had tantrums to stop him from hitting his head, which he would do when he got angry.“It hurts your shoulders,” he says of the restraints. “There’s no need to do that. … It felt like they were angry at me.”J.L. says he was fed pureed foodJ.L. also told police the couple would feed him pureed food after tantrums, which he thought was because “tantruming is for babies.”The defence has said the women sometimes fed the boys using bottles and purees on recommendation from a therapist who said it would help them deal with childhood trauma.In the video, J.L. also describes being locked in his room, which happened “a lot,” and being forced to wear a wetsuit when at home. At night, J.L. says, he was tied inside a tent on his bed.The women surveilled the boys using security cameras, J.L. says, adding, “I guess they could make sure I was doing everything right.” When the playing of the video in court ended, Crown lawyer Kelli Frew asked J.L. if what he had said about living with Cooney and Hamber was true. He responded it was.Then, the Crown played part of a September 2023 interview that J.L. had given to Powers. In contrast to the first video, in which J.L. sometimes laughs and makes jokes, he speaks softly and puts his head down several times.He tells Powers that CAS workers never saw his bedroom, and Hamber and Cooney would dress him in normal clothes when they visited, instead of putting him in a wetsuit.J.L. says the women told him that was because they didn’t want the workers to “see what I did, but I wasn’t doing anything. I was just living the life that they gave me.” The Crown plans to play the remainder of the second video when the trial continues Thursday. If you’re affected by this report, you can look for mental health support through resources in your province or territory .ABOUT THE AUTHORJustin Chandler is a CBC News reporter in Hamilton. He has a special interest in how public policy affects people, and loves a quirky human-interest story. Justin covered current affairs in Hamilton and Niagara for TVO between 2020 and 2023. Before that, he worked on a variety of CBC teams and programs, including As It Happens, Day 6 and CBC Music. He co-hosted Radio Free Krypton on Met Radio. Follow Justin on social mediaMore by JustinContact CBC Hamilton
Murder trial hears boy recall being restrained, he and brother locked in rooms while in Ontario couple’s care
