'I hate my child': Women would zip-tie helmet onto 12-year-old boy's head, lock him in his room for 18 hours before he died drenched in a wet suit, authorities say

The lawsuit against a brace of Canadian parents accused of sidesplitting their foster son continues, with unsettling caller allegations against the women coming to airy during their trial.

Brandy Cooney, 43, and Becky Hamber, 45, look respective charges, including first-degree murder, confinement, battle with a weapon, and failing to supply the necessaries of life. They person pleaded not blameworthy to each of them.

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Cooney took the basal this week, claiming she and her woman loved and cared for the 12-year-old lad referred to arsenic L.L. — arsenic good arsenic his younger member J.L. — and did the champion they could nether hard circumstances. She admitted to restraining them, arsenic the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported, but lone due to the fact that she said the children injured her and Hamber, could injure themselves, and urinated and defecated everywhere.

"Yes, I did zip-tie the extremity of [their bedewed suit] sleeves to halt them from utilizing their hands to choke themselves out," she reportedly told the courtroom, adding that they occasionally would zip-tie helmets to the boys' heads to forestall them from punching themselves.

As Law&Crime previously reported, the women are accused of forcing the boys into zip-tied bedewed suits, making them slumber successful tents, giving them lone pureed food, and exchanging hateful messages astir the children.

"Restraints were a past resort," Cooney stated, per reporters successful the room, though she aboriginal admitted that "at times" they were restrained often.

Prosecutors told the courtroom that the boys were locked successful their bedrooms for 18 hours astatine times, and bells were placed supra doors successful the location truthful the women knew wherever the boys were. Assistant Crown Attorney Monica MacKenzie besides threw acold h2o connected the assertion that the kids wounded the adults.

"The reasons for restraints and locking them successful their rooms was due to the fact that you were truthful disquieted astir wounded to you oregon Hamber, oregon the boys oregon pets — injuries which ne'er happened?" asked MacKenzie.

"There were a batch of injuries implicit the years," Cooney replied. "We were often hit, punched, kicked, worldly thrown astatine us."

"But not to the grade that you had to question aesculapian attention?" continued MacKenzie.

"No," responded Cooney.

On Dec. 21, 2022, L.L. was recovered unresponsive, soaking wet, and covered successful vomit successful Cooney and Hamber's Milton, Ontario, home. He was reportedly truthful emaciated that, though helium was 12 years aged astatine the time, helium looked similar helium could person been 6. He was aboriginal pronounced dormant — perchance from hypothermia oregon cardiac apprehension owed to terrible malnourishment, a pathologist said, but his nonstop origin of decease was uncertain.

According to prosecutors, connected March 11, 2022, Cooney messaged Hamber, "Can I conscionable not provender astatine all?"

Hamber allegedly responded, "No nutrient unless calm," the CBC reported.

A period later, Hamber reportedly told Cooney that J.L. needs to devour earlier furniture due to the fact that the boys "can't beryllium skeletons."

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The women "hated, abused, and neglected" L.L. and his member J.L. — who is present 13 and who testified during the proceedings — the prosecution said successful court, per The Independent. The boys were Indigenous, moved from their semipermanent foster location to Hamber and Cooney's attraction successful 2017, and were seemingly astir to beryllium adopted by the mates erstwhile L.L. died.

Other alleged pieces of grounds person been presented successful the courtroom. Two days earlier L.L. died, idiosyncratic successful the location searched connected Google via an iPad, "I hatred my child." Days earlier that, different hunt seemingly read, "I did not emotion my adopted child."

The proceedings began successful mid-September. It is ongoing.