Two young brothers who needed to be “appreciated, loved and taken care of” were instead “despised, deprived and abused” in the Burlington home of their prospective adoptive parents, a Crown attorney told a judge Monday at the opening of a horrific Ontario murder trial.

Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber, both in their 40s, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of the oldest boy, 12, and not guilty to forcible confinement, assault with a weapon and failing to provide the necessaries of life in relation to his younger brother. The boys cannot be identified under a publication ban intended to protect the surviving brother.

On Monday, prosecutor Kelli Frew gave an overview of the Crown’s case to Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan, who is hearing the case without a jury.

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