Co-accused resumes testimony at Milton, Ont., murder trial of couple charged in boy’s death

Everyone’s in localize at the tribulation, and we’re ready to try thomas more of what Hamber has to say.

She’s in the find box and her lawyer, MacGregor, is picking up his examination from yesterday.

So far, Hamber’s account has differed from what a former foster parent, therapists and doctors have told the court.

Heather Walsh fostered the boys for years in Ottawa before they moved to be with Hamber and Cooney in Burlington in 2017.

Walsh told the court in September she was very clear with the women about behaviour the boys had struggled with — such as L.L. Kicking, biting and hitting teachers and other kids. She also shared with them parenting strategies that had helped both boys find stability.

While the boys were in Hamber’s and Cooney’s care, the couple were in contact with a slew of therapists and doctors. But they rarely let the boys attend appointments or speak to the professionals alone.

Those therapists and doctors have told the court the odd time they did speak to the boys, they were polite, calm and didn’t exhibit the destructive behaviours the women were describing. They also said they tried to help.

Doctors prescribed the boys a range of medications. Therapists recommended different parenting techniques. And near the end of L.L.’s life, his psychiatrist and family doctor were working to get him into an eating disorders clinic.

Monday was a big day in court. It was Hamber’s first day testifying, so we got to hear her accounts of her and Cooney’s time with the brothers.

This comes after Cooney spent days in the witness box before the holidays.

Hamber’s defence lawyer, Monte MacGregor, questioned her all day and she’s expected to continue testifying this morning.

Hamber described her and Cooney’s first time meeting the brothers.

She said she was not informed of any significant behavioural issues ahead of time, but soon experienced L.L. Having violent outbursts.

MacGregor asked if children’s aid or health professionals offered any advice on dealing with the outbursts. Hamber said no.

Answering questions from her lawyer, Hamber also described her childhood, family life, health and work experience, and said she had experience working with children with special needs.

The trial began in mid-September, and a lot has happened.

It’s heard from dozens of witnesses, and hundreds of text messages exchanged between Hamber and Cooney while the two brothers were in their care have been read in court.

Based on the lines of questioning from the Crown and defence lawyers, we’ve been able to get a sense of their main arguments in determining the fate of the women.

The Crown is out to prove Cooney and Hamber hated the boys, L.L. In particular, set unrealistic standards and handed out harsh punishments when they were not met.

These punishments, the Crown alleges, included withholding food, forcing exercise and locking them in their rooms most of the time.

Cooney, who testified last month, denied withholding food, but admitted she and Hamber zip-tied the boys into wetsuits, hockey helmets and tents on their bed. But she said these methods weren’t used as punishments, but rather, to keep the boys safe as they were prone to harming themselves and others.

The defence has argued Cooney and Hamber loved the boys despite their significant behavioural issues. The women were doing their best to care for them without enough support from the Halton and Ottawa children’s aid agencies, doctors or therapists.

Hi, I'm John Mazerolle, a senior producer in P.E.I. And curator of today's live page.

The former child advocate for Ontario, Irwin Elman, has said the public deserves to know if the Children's Aid Society (CAS) has been held accountable in this case, though he said that's very unlikely.

Elman, who held the independent watchdog role from 2008 until Doug Ford's government closed his office in 2019, told my colleague Samantha Beattie recently that the child protection system in Ontario is "closed."

"Secrecy is the number one rule — don't talk, don't tell."

The Indigenous brothers were moved from Ottawa to live with Cooney and Hamber in Burlington in 2017 but remained wards of the Ottawa CAS.

Halton CAS was in charge of supervising the family on a daily basis, and did so until the older brother died and the younger brother was removed from the couple's care in December 2022.

Read Beattie's full story here.

We are watching court today as Becky Hamber, co-accused with wife Brandy Cooney, begins her second day of testimony.

She is expected to be the last witness in this lengthy trial in the southern Ontario town of Milton.

Cooney testified for several days and wrapped up her time in the witness box before the holidays.

She and Hamber were trying to adopt the brothers — L.L. And J.L. €” who had been in their care since 2017.

Over several weeks of testimony, the court has heard from Halton Children’s Aid Society protection workers, police, doctors, teachers and therapists, among others.

In March, the Crown and defence will make their closing submissions to Justice Clayton Conlan. He’s said he will hand down his decision later this spring.

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