The family of an Indigenous boy who was killed by two Burlington, Ont., women while in their care delivered agonizing victim impact statements in a tense courtroom Friday before a judge sentenced the couple to life in prison.
Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney were found guilty in early May of first-degree murder in the death of a 12-year-old boy, and of unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon and failure to provide the necessaries of life regarding his younger sibling.
The couple, clad in long-sleeved green shirts, sat at opposite ends of the prisoner's box, their expressions largely hidden behind blue medical masks as the judge handed down the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The boys' mother told the Milton, Ont., court that her son's death has been "the darkest night" of her soul and the family's lives will forever be divided before and after his murder.
Hamber and Cooney took in the two boys, who cannot be identified under a publication ban, in the fall of 2017 and sought to adopt them.
Five years later, the older boy — by then so thin that first responders questioned his age — died in the basement of their home. His brother was taken away by child welfare services and later testified at the women's trial, describing years of abuse both siblings endured at the couple's hands.
The boy testified at the couple's trial that he was locked in his room for long stretches of time and denied food at times for days, court documents show. He told the court he was forced to wear a wetsuit that was fastened to his feet with zip ties, leaving him with deep cuts on his feet.
In his written ruling, Ontario Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan said Hamber and Cooney hated and resented the children for "having come into their lives and not having turned out to be what was expected."
The boys' mother, who also cannot be identified, said the loss of her resilient, intelligent son who adored reading and food "follows me into every moment of my life."
"There is an empty place in our family that can never be filled," she told the court on Friday. "Every birthday, holiday, family gathering and ordinary day serves as a reminder that (my son) should be with us."
The murdered boy's brother is now traumatized and confused "at an age when children should feel safe and protected," she said.
He also delivered a victim impact statement, telling the court that he has endured anxious, sleepless nights, and watching recordings of the torture inflicted on the boys during the couple's trial made him "very sad and angry."
Never again will he play baseball with his brother, he said.
"I won't be able to see him, and I won't be able to talk to him again," he said. "Living with Becky and Brandy, I did not like it, and it should have never happened."
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In a statement read out by the Crown, the boys' grandmother said she and their former foster mom had grown increasingly worried the boys would be killed and warned the Children's Aid Society to no avail.
"No matter how many times I tried to tell that to the CAS workers, my grandson stayed with those monsters," she said.
"It was agonizing, seeing his tiny body in this child-sized coffin. It was unrecognizable, and no way did it look like the 12-year-old he was," the boys' grandmother added.
"They had to pad his little body with newspaper because he was just skin and bones."
One by one, members of the boys' school, Indigenous and neighbourhood communities addressed court, often choking back tears as they described the kind, energetic young boys who became increasingly isolated and withdrawn.
Court heard that first responders, teachers and Indigenous community workers are traumatized by the boy’s murder and some have gone on medical leave or left their professions entirely.
The women's lawyers had argued at trial that their clients had no intention of hurting the children, who they said had significant behavioural issues.
The women defended their behaviour when it was their turn to speak on Friday, claiming they were good foster moms who were wrongfully convicted.
But the judge said their "moral blameworthiness" is "as high as could possibly be imagined," as their lengthy abuse of the children extinguished a young life.
Florence Hiltz, an Indigenous elder in Ottawa where the boys once lived, said the "brutal and horrific" end to the boy's short life has left the community terrified.
"We fear for every child and youth that is brought out of our communities where we must trust in a system that is supposed to be designed to protect children," she said.
Hiltz said acomputer game that she loved playing with the boy is still sitting at a level they couldn't beat together, forever untouched.
Hiltz still sees the boy in the world around her, in the light cascading through a stained-glass window at his funeral — lighting up his casket and service — and in the eagles outside the courtroom the morning of the sentencing hearing.
"It's with that light and that love and that energy that we continue to make crucial changes to our system for our most vulnerable," Hiltz said. "We must do better."
Before Hamber and Cooney were led away in handcuffs, the judge said that although the case is over, the murdered boy will never be forgotten -- and his brother's life is just beginning.
The boy's mother said she hopes her son is remembered not for how he died but for how he lived: "He was a warrior."
"It was the greatest honour of my life to grow you and bring your shining light to this world," she added, her voice catching.
"All I gave you was a name, and you gave me the world."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2026.
