'Shiver shiver dumb f—': Foster parents forced kids to exercise as they starved them and kept them in wet suits before 1 child died, prosecutors say

Attorneys person presented their closing arguments successful the lawsuit of 2 women who allegedly abused their foster children truthful severely that 1 of them died soaking bedewed successful a locked basement room.

Brandy Cooney, 44, and Becky Hamber, 46, person pleaded not blameworthy to charges of first-degree murder, confinement, battle with a weapon, and failing to supply the necessaries of life.

The lawsuit was launched aft authorities recovered a 12-year-old lad referred to arsenic L.L. dormant successful the couple's Milton location successful Ontario, Canada.

As Law&Crime previously reported, connected Dec. 21, 2022, archetypal responders arrived astatine the location to find L.L. unresponsive, soaking wet, and covered successful vomit. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, authorities said helium was truthful emaciated that, though helium was 12 years old, helium looked similar helium could person been 6.

L.L. was aboriginal pronounced dormant — perchance from hypothermia oregon cardiac apprehension owed to terrible malnourishment, a pathologist reported, though they stated they were incapable to regularisation connected an nonstop origin of death.

The proceedings began successful September.

The erstwhile foster parent of L.L. and J.L. — who was L.L.'s younger member — told the CBC it "feels similar the proceedings that ne'er ends."

In their closing arguments, prosecutors alleged the women starved their foster children and kept them isolated successful bedewed suits and helmets because they "hated" them. The prosecutors pointed to messages from the women, including a substance wherever 1 of them allegedly wrote, "Shiver shiver dumb f–" and suggested utilizing workout arsenic a mode for the boys to enactment warm.

About a period earlier L.L.'s death, Cooney texted Hamber, "Unfortunately my thoughts [are] helium is abruptly going to dice and im going to jail," authoritative Monica MacKenzie said, adding that this connection showed the women knew the consequences of what they were doing.

However, defence attorneys reason that the children were hard to grip and that measures specified arsenic the helmets and bedewed suits were to support the kids from having bath accidents each implicit the spot and to forestall them from hurting themselves. The defence has besides contended that kid assistance workers and wellness professionals who checked connected the boys knew astir the women's methods and ne'er raised immoderate concerns with them.

Since nary assemblage is progressive successful the case, Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan volition determine the fates of the defendants.