Text Messages of Couple on Trial for Murder of 12-Year-Old Foster Child Reveal Disturbing Details

Alleged text messages between two women on a trial regarding the murder of a 12-year-old boy have become crucial evidence in court. The couple who are accused of the murder were in the process of adopting the 12-year-old victim.

The ongoing trial of the two Canadian women, identified as Becky Hamber, 46, and Brandy Cooney, 44, is for the murder of a 12-year-old boy they were adopting.

Hamber and Cooney are being charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of the child in December 2022, who was referred to in court as L.L.

The investigation into the couple started after the younger brother of the victim, who has been referred to as J.L., went to the police to testify. He told authorities that both he and his elder brother were subjected to extreme conditions in the home of the couple, including being restrained with zip ties and locked in their rooms for hours at a time, according to reports filed by the Toronto Star.

The victim reportedly weighed only 48 pounds at the time of his death. He was found in his basement bedroom at the couple’s Burlington, Ontario home, according to CBC. In addition to the murder charge, the women were also charged with confinement, assault with a weapon, which in the case were zip ties, and failing to provide the necessities of life for the children they planned to adopt.

The trial began in September 2025 at the Milton Superior Court, part of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and concluded on March 27 after lengthy closing arguments from both parties.

During the closing arguments, Crown lawyers Kelli Frew and Monica MacKenzie, who argued that Hamber and Cooney were responsible for the death of L.L., referred to the 8,000 pages of alleged text messages that the women exchanged in relation to the boys they were adopting.

Several of these text messages raised concerns and made headlines in multiple news outlets during the trial.

One of the texts read, “Unfortunately, my thoughts are that he is suddenly going to die and I am going to jail.” Cooney sent this text to Hamber at the time.

Another exchange that went viral during the trial included the woman referring to the child as being held in “Hamber Cooney prison.”

The woman reportedly alluded to themselves as the boys' jailors.

J.L alleged that he and his brother were kept in the room for hours at a time.

CBC noted that cameras were allegedly installed in the bedrooms, enabling the couple to monitor the children.

In another text read during the closing argument, one of the women wrote “shiver shiver dumb…”, seemingly regarding seeing the children suffer.

The ruling is expected on April 24.