Overview
- Following Friday's closing arguments, the bench trial now awaits Justice Clayton Conlan's update set for April 24.
- Becky Hamber, 46, and Brandy Cooney, 44, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, confinement, assault with a weapon, and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
- Prosecutors emphasized texts such as “Shiver, shiver dumb f**k” and “he is suddenly going to die and I'm going to jail,” and described wetsuits, helmets, and removed blankets used as alleged punishment.
- A social worker testified LL weighed about 48 pounds and slept on a cot often covered in vomit, while the surviving brother described locked rooms, camera monitoring, and bans on speaking.
- The defense said the gear served safety needs and called the messages dark humor, cited child-welfare checks, and noted experts have not fixed a single cause of death beyond possibilities like hypothermia or cardiac arrest tied to malnourishment.