On December 21, 2022, at 7:26 p.m., the Halton police and other emergency services were called to a residence in the area of New Street and Guelph line in Burlington in response to a child without vital signs.

Police arrived to find a deceased 12-year-old boy in the home.

Investigators from the HRPS Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit (CASA) commenced an investigation. On February 29, 2024, the prospective adoptive parents of the deceased boy were arrested.

Becky Hamber, 44, of Burlington and Brandy Cooney, 42, of Hamilton have both been charged with First Degree Murder, and Failure to Provide the Necessaries of Life.

The accused were also the prospective adoptive parents to a younger sibling of the deceased child who also lived in the home in December 2022.

Police said in January 2023, both accused were charged with Assault, Assault with a Weapon, Forcible Confinement, Fail to Provide the Necessaries of Life and Criminal Negligence Cause Bodily Harm following an investigation in relation to the younger sibling. 

Update: On May5th 2026, an Ontario Superior Court judge convicted Burlington residents Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney on all charges tied to the death of a 12-year-old boy and the abuse of his younger brother, both of whom were in their care.

Justice Clayton Conlan had said he would spend about 30 minutes delivering his ruling, starting at 9 a.m. ET on May 5th and would later release a written decision explaining his reasoning in detail. The couple faced charges including first-degree murder in the death of L.L., along with unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon, and failing to provide the necessities of life to J.L.

In his ruling, Conlan found that Hamber and Cooney unlawfully confined J.L., failed to meet his basic needs, and assaulted him with a weapon. He also determined that they were responsible for the first-degree murder of L.L.

Update July 3rd 2026

An Ontario judge has sentenced Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney to life in prison after they were found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a 12-year-old boy.

In addition to the life sentences, the pair received further prison terms for crimes committed against the boy’s younger brother. Those convictions include forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, and failing to provide the necessities of life.