Surviving brother, biological mom speak at sentencing for Ontario couple convicted of murdering boy

Ontario couple on found shamed of boy's dispatch, brother's torment

Critics call for change after death of Indigenous boy in foster care

Ontario's former child advocate says children's aid societies made 'bad decisions' leading up to death of boy

J.L., 14, goes up to read his own victim impact statement. 

He waves at Conlan, who offers for him to come sit up where he is. 

J.L. Says he'll stand where others have been speaking.

"When I was testifying, I was very anxious and I couldn't sleep," he reads, because he wasn't sure if his brother and family would get justice.

He was "sad and angry" seeing recordings of what he went through.

"I miss [L.L.] because I will never see him again."

Hamber and Cooney were needlessly cruel, the grandmother writes, saying they waited three days to tell the boys their grandfather died, choosing to share that on J.L.'s birthday.

She recounts them questioning the boys' Indigenous identity.

Cooney and Hamber are dangers to all vulnerable people, the brothers' grandmother writes. 

"There is no excuse" for what they did.

"I had hoped they would love [the boys], but they absolutely hated them,"MacKenzie reads on her behalf.

MacKenzie, the Crown, is reading a statement from L.L.'s and J.L.'s grandmother.

It says she didn't know much about what was going on at the Cooney-Hamber home, but knew it wasn't good.

Their grandmother says she tried to tell children's aid workers she feared for the boys’ lives, but nobody took them away until it was too late.

After Walsh completes her statement, Conlan thanks her for coming to the hearing.

He's commended each person for detailing their experiences.

Walsh had 15 foster kids, she says, L.L. And J.L. For the longest. 

All, she says, were "loved and cherished" by their birth parents.

She says she hopes this case has the impact of improving the child welfare system for all Indigenous children.

Walsh praises J.L., saying he has integrity.

When she complained about his treatment as a witness, Walsh says, J.L. Told her it was OK and it's a defence lawyer's job to provide a defence for their client. 

L.L. "was amazing at figuring things out," Walsh says, and she has to believe that before he died, he knew how loved he was.

Now, she speaks about the guilt she and others feel for L.L.'s death.

To J.L., she says, "You did nothing wrong."

Neither, she says, did L.L.

As people have learned about the trial, many have reached out, Walsh says, but it feels like L.L. Died twice. 

She says she dreams she's with him, taking care of him.

Some words now mean different things to Walsh after the trial, she says. 

For example, wetsuit and hockey helmet — both used by the couple to restrain the kids.

She says she's also haunted by the horrible names the couple called the boys in text messages. 

"You failed, Becky. You failed, Brandy. Not them," Walsh says, turning to the women.

Walsh says she thinks that one day, Conlan might see J.L. Walk into a courtroom, not as a witness, but as a lawyer.

She says she has a strong relationship with him and his family, who deeply understand trauma.

J.L. Smiled when he heard Conlan wrote "I believe J.L.," in his decisions, Walsh says.

She tells the court that another impact of the trial is "my dog got fat." 

Whenever she heard of L.L. Asking for food, she'd give the dog a treat, and when she heard about Cooney taking his blanket, she'd give one to the dog, which now won't sleep without one.

That draws some chuckles in the room.

As the former foster mom of the two brothers reads her victim impact statement, people in the courtroom are sniffling, and some have red or teary eyes.

"All I really knew is Becky and Brandy fed off of each other," Walsh says, calling the pair "sadistic."

The former foster mom says she's relieved to give herself permission to get out of the couple's heads.

The trial provided answers but came with a "cost," Walsh says, adding the videos and audio played in court are seared in her mind.

The court heard hours of recordings of Hamber and Cooney berating the brothers, and of L.L. Crying that he was hungry.

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