A Burlington couple convicted of first-degree murder in the horrific abuse death of their adopted son has been sentenced to life in prison.
Becky Hamber, 47, and Brandy Cooney, 45, faced the music in a Milton courtroom as numerous victim impact statements left the courtroom in tears.
The months-long court proceedings also served as an indictment of child services in two different jurisdictions.
Justice Clayton Conlan told the court, "This is a highly aggravating case," adding that Cooney and Hamber's moral blameworthiness is "as high as could possibly be imagined."
In May, the couple was found guilty of murder, forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, and failure to provide the necessaries of life at a judge-alone trial.
Conlan said at the time the pair "hated and resented the children."
On Dec. 21, 2022, a 12-year-old boy – identified only as L.L. – died of malnourishment at the Burlington home where he lived with Hamber, Cooney, and his brother, J.L.
J.L. testified that the siblings were made to wear wetsuits, and the court heard about the harrowing abuse the two Indigenous boys endured, although Hamber and Cooney denied their heritage.
The life sentences without parole for first-degree murder were automatic, but Conlan also sentenced the duo to three years for forcible confinement, two years for assault with a weapon, and five years for failure to provide the necessities of life.
The sentences will be served concurrently to their 25-year sentences.
The victim impact statements were packed with anger and emotion, with Hamber and Cooney described as "sadistic" people who "fed off each other."
Hamber and Cooney both addressed the court, triggering widespread discomfort, with Hamber stating that "justice has not been served here overall."
Conlan said, "The life of one young child has been snuffed out at the hands of these offenders, and J.L.'s life has been altered forever."
When the long ordeal came to a close, cops led Hamber and Cooney out of the courtroom to begin serving their life sentences.
