Foster Mother Grilled in Horrific Child Death Case
In a chilling courtroom scene in Ontario, Becky Hamber, a 46-year-old woman who presented herself as a mother, faced intense cross-examination over the death of a 12-year-old foster son in her care. The boy was found dead on December 21, 2022, in a state of severe emaciation, weighing the same as he did at six years old. Hamber and her wife, Brandy Cooney, 44, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges including confinement and assault.
Disturbing Details Emerge in Court
During the trial, Crown attorney Kelli Frew confronted Hamber with a series of harrowing allegations. The prosecution claims the boy was often locked in a cold basement room for up to 18 hours a day, restrained in a wetsuit with zip ties, and deprived of food until late in the day. Hamber admitted the child was "essentially skin and bones" by the fall of 2022 but denied physical abuse, despite text evidence suggesting otherwise.
In one text exchange from September 2022, Cooney described "pinning" the child, whom they derogatorily called "d—face." Hamber responded, "You strangled him and threw him down. I totally get where you are coming from and agree but still …" Another text from Hamber in June 2022 referred to a "sucker punch to the throat" of the younger foster child, which she later dismissed as paraphrasing lies.
Allegations of Sedation and Neglect
Frew also alleged that the couple used Benadryl as a sedative to keep the boys quiet. In a Christmas Eve text, Hamber advised Cooney to use "Benadryl all the time," adding "Big a– loser." Hamber claimed not to remember these texts, suggesting the drug was for allergies. The prosecutor questioned how the boy could have bladder pain from masturbation, as Hamber theorized, when he was often zip-tied into a wetsuit, pointing out the lack of medical consultation for this claim.
Defense and Prosecution Clash Over Evidence
Hamber maintained that she never physically assaulted the boys and that damage to their Burlington home was due to the children's violent behavior, for which they received Home Depot vouchers. However, Frew suggested the damage resulted from the boys being locked up and hungry. The cross-examination is set to conclude soon, with the judge to determine the couple's guilt in this tragic case that has shocked the community.
