Hamilton·NewThe murder trial of two Burlington, Ont., women heard again from the younger of two boys in their care. Now 13, he testified he was isolated, forced to exercise and missed meals before his brother’s death in 2022.Brother of 12-year-old who died testifies again in Milton, speaks of isolation, being forced to exercise Justin Chandler · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 6 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Brandy Cooney, left, and Becky Hamber, right, have pleaded not guilty in their first-degree murder trial in Milton, Ont. (Pam Davies/CBC) WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.The sibling of a 12-year-old who died while in the care of a Burlington, Ont., couple was back testifying on Thursday, telling the court he and his older brother lived in increasing isolation. “In 2022, I don’t think I ever ate [outside] of my room,” the boy said Thursday, his second day in the witness box at the murder trial in Milton Superior Court.He added that during his five years living with Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber, they stopped him from going outside to play, took him out of regular school so he could be taught at home, and eventually stopped giving him school work to do. The boy said he would be locked in his room for hours at a time and rarely saw his big brother.J.L., as he’s referred to for our coverage of this trial since the Indigenous boys’ identities are protected under a standard publication ban, is now 13. Called by the Crown, he again testified by video from a separate room in the courthouse.His brother, L.L., died on Dec. 21, 2022. The judge-alone trial — which began in mid-September — 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.Hamber and Cooney, who were in the process of trying to adopt the boys, have pleaded not guilty to murder. 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.The Crown argues Hamber and Cooney hated, abused and neglected the children.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.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)J.L. says he was locked in tent for hours at a timeOn Thursday, Crown attorney Kelli Frew played the court the remainder of a September 2023 interview J.L. gave police. She had played the first part Wednesday. In the video, J.L. says in an interview with a detective, Julie Powers, that he missed meals “a lot.” He also describes being prevented from playing outside with L.L. because Cooney and Hamber said the two boys would fight. J.L. says he and his brother didn’t fight any more than is normal for siblings, adding he isn’t afraid of L.L.Frew also played the court several audio clips and videos from inside the women’s house. In one, J.L. could be heard yelling, “Don’t zip it.” A woman responds, “Break the tent, you sleep outside.”J.L. testified the women would zip-tie him in a tent to sleep and that he broke the tent on at least two occasions. He said sometimes, Cooney would come down in the morning before her shift at work to let him out to use the bathroom, then lock him up again. Sometimes, he said, he would be left for hours. At times, J.L. recounted, he’d pee himself because he couldn’t hold it any longer. Then, he said, the women would force him to clean his wetsuit and wring it until it was dry.The trial previously heard that the women made the boys wear wetsuits most of the time. J.L. said he was sometimes zip-tied into his wetsuit and that the restraints cut his feet. Frew presented photos showing cuts on top of J.L.’s feet. The boy told the court that he still has the scars. Boy says he and brother forced to exercise for hoursThe Crown lawyer also played videos of the boys exercising — which J.L. said Hamber and Cooney would force them to do, sometimes for hours.In one recording from 2022, L.L. is seen wearing a wetsuit and hockey helmet, and repeatedly walking up and down the same five steps, turning around at a spot on the landing marked with tape.The defence has argued the women used a helmet to keep L.L. from banging his head and hurting himself.Frew also played an audio recording of what J.L. described as a tantrum he was having. In it, he can be heard pleading not to eat a smoothie that Cooney and Hamber had given him. The trial has heard the women fed the boys pureed food. The defence has suggested that was part of a therapist-recommended tactic to deal with childhood trauma.Boy told in recording, ‘You’re a big old joke’At one point in the 2022 recording, L.L. yells as if he were in pain, saying someone was in his “personal space bubble.”The couple could then be heard making fun of him, saying things including, “God, you’re so annoying,” and, “You’re a big old joke.” One of the women repeats what he was saying, using a mocking voice.One of the women also tells J.L. she was recording him to prove he abuses them. “Currently, this is verbal abuse,” she says.“You know who’s loving your tantrum? Your brother,” one of the women says. J.L. yells that’s not true.Frew asked J.L. what he thought the women had meant by saying his brother was “loving” his tantrum.J.L. responded, “He definitely wasn’t enjoying it. I’m guessing they also said the same to him as well.”The trial is set to continue Monday with a different witness. J.L. is scheduled to return on Nov. 21 for cross-examination. Proceedings are expected to continue into December. 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 recording of Ontario couple taunting younger boy, sees images of cuts on his feet
