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

What was meant to be a story of rescue and adoption has instead unfolded into one of the most harrowing child abuse trials Canada has seen in years. Crown prosecutors allege that Becky Hamber, 45, and Brandy Cooney, 43, systematically imprisoned, starved, and controlled a 12-year-old boy — the very child they were in the process of adopting — until his body simply gave out.

By the time the boy died in December 2024, he weighed just 48 pounds. Prosecutors told the court that for months, perhaps years, the child lived in near-total confinement, locked inside a basement bedroom for up to 18 hours a day, cut off from food, freedom, and basic human care. The room, they say, was less a bedroom than a cell.

When Cooney took the stand in her own defense, she attempted to paint a picture of two overwhelmed but loving parents struggling with children they claimed were deeply traumatized and developmentally challenged. She described the rules, the isolation, and the punishments as “necessary structure.” But under cross-examination, a far darker portrait emerged.

Crown attorneys alleged that the boys — aged just 10 and 12 — were routinely locked in their rooms from early evening until late morning the next day. During those long hours, they were allegedly allowed out only once, in the middle of the night, to use the bathroom. Even then, prosecutors say, the children were forced to wear wetsuits secured with zip ties, sometimes with helmets, making it impossible for them to undress or move freely without adult assistance.

Inside their rooms, surveillance cameras allegedly watched their every move. The boys were forced to perform exercises — burpees, wall sits, laps — sometimes for hours, sometimes as punishment. Other times, they were ordered to read or stand still in silence. Prosecutors described the routine as discipline through exhaustion.

One message entered into evidence stunned the courtroom. On Christmas Eve, Cooney allegedly texted Hamber:
“Tell them good luck figuring out burpees in the shower when they bitch about never having food.”
At the time, the boys were just 8 and 10 years old.

Last month, the surviving younger brother took the stand — his voice shaking as he described watching his older sibling slowly waste away. While the couple posted photos of gourmet meals online, the boys were allegedly fed pureed food, portions so small they barely sustained life. The child testified that in the weeks before his brother’s death, he could see the bones through his skin.

Medical experts confirmed the horror. Dr. Emma Cory, a pediatrician called by the Crown, testified that the boy’s weight at death was less than when he was six years old. At one point, the child had dropped to just 43 pounds. Even a defense attorney acknowledged in court that the boy’s appearance resembled that of a “Holocaust survivor.”

Cooney claimed the extreme measures were taken out of fear — fear that the children might self-harm or attack their caregivers. She testified that both she and Hamber had suffered injuries over the years, even alleging that one child once pushed Hamber hard enough to fracture her arm. But prosecutors quickly challenged that claim, noting there was no medical record of such an injury.

As the trial continues, the courtroom remains heavy with grief and disbelief. The women have pleaded not guilty, and Hamber is expected to testify in January 2026. But for many observers, the most haunting testimony has already been delivered — that of a young boy who survived long enough to tell the world what happened behind a locked basement door.