Couple Accused of Locking Adopted Son in Basement for 18 Hours a Day Before He Died Weighing 48 Lbs. By Chris Spargo

A Canadian couple charged with murdering the 12-year-old boy they were in the process of adopting would allegedly lock the boy in his basement bedroom for 18 hours of the day, Crown prosecutors said.

Becky Hamber, 45, and Brandy Cooney, 43, are currently on trial after the boy died weighing just 48 lbs., according to CBC Hamilton.

Cooney took the stand this week in her defense, where she was questioned about her treatment of the deceased as well as his younger brother, who was 10 years old at the time of his brother’s death.

In her testimony, she depicted herself and Hamber as loving but frustrated parents who were struggling to deal with two boys who she alleged had severe developmental issues resulting from early childhood trauma.

A different picture emerged, however, during cross-examination, when prosecutors alleged that the two boys would be locked in their rooms from 6 p.m. to noon most days.

Prosecutors also alleged that the boys would be allowed to leave their rooms just once in the middle of the night when they were woken up to use the bathroom — a task that required the assistance of at least one of their mothers because the couple would allegedly make them wear wetsuits which were then zip-tied so they could not be removed.

Once in their rooms, the boys would also be forced to exercise as their mothers monitored them through video cameras they had set up in the room, Crown prosecutors alleged.

Cooney testified that the two boys would be required to do burpees, sit against a wall, walk laps or read while locked in the room, CBC reported.

The burpees were often used as a punishment for the boys, with Cooney allegedly sending a text message to Hamber one Christmas Eve that read: “Tell them good luck figuring out burpees in the shower when they bitch about never having food.”

The brothers were just 10 years old and 8 years old at that time.

Last month, the surviving brother took the stand against the two women, alleging that while the couple shared images of gourmet meals, he and his brother were eating pureed foods.

The brother also testified about watching the victim slowly die from “severe malnutrition” in the weeks before he drew his final breath on Dec. 10, 2024.

The boy weighed just 48 pounds at the time of his death, testified Dr. Emma Cory — a pediatrician called as an expert witness by prosecutors. That is less than the boy weighed when he was 6 years old, Cory testified, per the CBC. The outlet reports that one of the defense attorneys even noted that the victim looked like a “Holocaust survivor.”

The brother also testified that the victim had weighed as little as 43 lbs. at one point.

Cooney testified this is because the boy would often regurgitate his food.

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Cooney testified that she and Hamber would zip-tie the boys into wetsuits and even helmets at times due to their fear that one or both might self-harm. She also said that she was protecting herself and her wife from their children.

“There were a lot of injuries over the years,” Cooney said, according to CBC. “We were often hit, punched, kicked, stuff thrown at us.” 

One of the boys allegedly shoved Hamber, said Cooney on the stand, causing her to fracture her arm.

However, the Crown said in court that there is no record of any medical visit for Hamber around the time of the incident.

Hamber and Cooney have both entered not guilty pleas, and Hamber is expected to testify in January 2026.