Therapist tells Ontario women's murder trial she never recommended consistent pureeing of food

WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.

A child and family therapist said she suggested serving smoothies and possibly bottle feeding as ways to help two boys deal with trauma, but she never recommended their prospective adoptive parents consistently puree the boys’ food.

The question of what and how much Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber fed two Indigenous brothers in their care has been a key question in their first-degree murder trial.

The brothers are referred to as L.L. and J.L. for CBC's coverage of this trial since their identities are protected under a standard publication ban. L.L. was 12 when he died in Hamber and Cooney’s care on Dec. 21, 2022.

The Burlington, Ont., women have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in L.L.'s death at the trial that began in mid-September in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Milton. They've entered the same plea related to charges of confinement, assault with a weapon — zip ties — and failing to provide the necessaries of life to J.L.

On Friday, the Crown called Terra Bovingdon to testify about working with Cooney, Hamber and the boys in 2018 and 2019. She is one of several mental health workers the trial has heard from.

Bovingdon described her practice as “helping families to learn about what the brain’s doing, why it’s doing it and how to regulate from the bottom up,” using techniques such as play and repetition.

She said that while many children may respond to immediate consequences for certain behaviour, such as being sent to their rooms, that can be harmful for kids who’ve experienced trauma.

Hearing that the boys had childhood trauma, Bovingdon said she recommended activities that are rhythmic and repetitive, such as biking, jumping on a trampoline or colouring to soothe them.

J.L. previously testified that at some point in his five-year stay with the couple, he was confined to his room more than 90 per cent of the time and fed only pureed food. The defence has said the couple used pureed food on Bovingdon’s recommendation.

On Friday, Bovingdon recounted telling the women that for children who act younger than they are in certain circumstances, engaging with them at that younger level in 10-to-15-minute increments, two or three times a day, can be helpful.

For example, she said, one could play hide and seek with a 10-year-old, or snuggle and watch a kids’ show. She said she tells parents not to be surprised if children being treated this way request bottle feeding but that she only recommends doing what both child and parent are OK with.

When questioned by Crown prosecutor Monica MacKenzie, Bovingdon said she did not recommend the women treat the boys like toddlers on an ongoing basis. She also said she did not recommend they climb stairs for 45 minutes or more at a time. The Crown has alleged the couple forced the boys to exercise and played videos of them climbing stairs in the house.

The Crown argues Hamber and Cooney abused and neglected the children.