Ontario women found guilty of murder in death of boy they were trying to adopt

Two women have been found guilty on all counts in the death of a 12-year-old boy and the forcible confinement of the child's younger sibling.

Two Ontario women have been found guilty of killing a boy they were trying to adopt and confining his brother.

Gasps could be heard in the Milton, Ont. courtroom as Ontario Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan found Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney guilty on all counts they faced.

The judge did not read out the reasons for his decision during the brief hearing this morning.

The women were charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 12-year-old boy.

The pair were also charged with multiple offences, including forcible confinement, related to the boy’s younger brother.

At the time of the arrests, police said the women were the boys’ prospective adoptive parents.

Investigators said the 12-year-old was found dead in a home in December 2022 after emergency crews were called for a child without vital signs.

In a statement emailed by her lawyer, the boys’ mother described them as “amazing, funny and intelligent human beings with bigger than life personalities.”

“I want people to understand that we are not just a case or a story. We are real people, a family who has lived through heartbreak. They are innocent children who deserved to be loved, to be protected and feel safe,” she wrote.

Neither the children nor their mother can be identified under a publication ban.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.