Narrator/Host (35:23)
Of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes if network's busy taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com. Two forestry workers were in the southeast region of Welles Grey Provincial park working on Trophy Mountain. To give you some perspective it's about 23 aerial miles from the Bear Creek campsite and about 4,700ft up Trophy Mountain down an old abandoned logging road, two forestry workers found what they believe to be George and Edith Bentley's Ford truck and camper they called the rcmp. Just like the Johnson's Chrysler, the Bentleys trucking camper had been set alight with an accelerant and was now a completely burnt out wreckage. And it was clear that the vehicle had been driven deep into the bush with the intention of letting it roll into a deep gorge where it likely wouldn't have been discovered for a very long time. Luckily there were some large logs in its path and it stopped short. But the attempt to hide it was still successful. It wasn't known how long it had been there, but by the time it was found a year after the murders, it was almost impossible to see. The burned out truck and camper contained no evidence except this. A.22 calibre bullet hole in the passenger side. The RCMP announced that the Bentleys truck and camper had been found at Trophy Mountain but did not release the bullet hole information to the public. This detail was kept as holdback evidence along with Bear Creek, the location of the campsite, details that only the killer would know. But this discovery meant something important for the investigation. As the Vancouver sun reported, it meant that the person or persons responsible for murdering four adults and two children were was clearly intimate with the relatively pristine wilderness and the back roads connecting each location involved in the crime. The burnt out Chrysler, the campsite turned crime scene and now the burnt out truck and camper all accessed through abandoned logging roads in areas of Wells Grey park that only a local would know. This meant the RCMP had to let go of the notion of the scruffy Frenchmen, whoever and wherever they were, go back to the drawing board and focus on the local area again. Clearwater, that small town to the south of Welles Grey Provincial Park. More investigators were added to the case and more than 20 of them went door to door and re interviewed everyone for a second time. Now that more than A year had passed since the murders. Maybe someone had heard or learned something of interest in that time. After all, with a local killer still on the loose, everyone had been paying attention. Early into their second round of interviews. An investigator was eating lunch at a local diner when a waitress slipped him a mysterious piece of paper. It read two words, Dave Shearing. Police quickly looked into this David shearing. He was 24, and at the time of the murders, he lived in his mother's farmhouse, only a few kilometres away from the Bear Creek campsite. His father had died of cancer and his mother was living in a retirement home. His brother was reportedly a sheriff. From what they could see, he came from a nice, normal family who lived on an isolated farm in the area and had enjoyed a simple upbringing with hardworking parents and two siblings. But it was clear that David Shearing had somehow diverged from his family. He'd been in trouble with the RCMP many times before for drugs, drunk driving and getting into fights. There were also whispers that David was responsible for a hit and run in the park a couple of years earlier and had gotten away with it. Investigators had also heard rumours that he liked underage girls. Around the age of 13 or 14, lead investigator Mike Eastham recalled interviewing David the first round of interviews with Clearwater residents. Thumbing through his old notes, he saw that David was cooperative. He told them he didn't see anything and couldn't remember anything from that time. He added that he didn't know who could do such a thing and quote, the guilty people deserve whatever they get. He promised to call if he remembered anything. Investigators learnt that at the time, David worked in clear water. This meant that every day he likely drove past the old Bear Creek prison campsite on his way to work. He knew exactly where it was. But now David Shearing was no longer in town. And as investigators worked to find out more about him and locate him, others continued to go door to door in Clearwater, conducting interviews. They had an interesting experience with a local resident who was at first reluctant to speak. After prompting from his wife, he told investigators that he had heard Dave Shearing talking about re registering a truck that might have been stolen. A truck with a bullet hole in the door. As you'll remember, the information about the bullet hole in the door had never been released to the public. This was a big break for police. Everything they were digging up was pointing at David Shearing. Police interviewed a man called Ross with one of David's closest friends, who confessed that he was in the car when David ran over and killed A man on Wellesgray Park Road. This was fact checked. The young man had left a party and was walking on the road when a car apparently driven by David Shearing, hit him. David and Ross had both been drinking and Ross told the RCMP that David didn't even bother to stop the car. He just kept driving. And of course, the young man tragically died. With this information, the RCMP had something to bring David Shearing in for and at least get him out of the community. While they continued to gather evidence about his possible involvement in what was now widely referred to as the Johnson Bentley murders. They suspected a person might act a little differently after they'd ambushed and murdered four adults and two children, so asked residents if anyone they knew seemed to change suddenly. There were no reports of this. Even people who knew David Shearing said there was no noticeable change in his demeanour or behaviour. Around the time that the families went missing, he was observed getting drunk and socialising with his friends as if nothing had happened. The RCMP tracked him down in a town called Tumblr Ridge, about 800 kilometres north of Clearwater. They discovered that only two months beforehand, David Shearing had been arrested for being in possession of around $40,000 worth of stolen tools. He'd been released and was under an agreement to stay in the local area working until he returned to court. The RCMP found him two days before his court date and asked him if he would come to the station to help them with an investigation. He was cooperative. At the station, he was introduced to investigators Ken Leibel and Mike Eastam, who wrote about the interview in great detail for his book the Seventh Shadow, starting with their attempts to make David relax by asking the usual casual questions about his family, his background and where he worked. David said he was currently working for a local craftsman, but he'd also done cabinet making, general labour, worked at a fertiliser company and had also done construction work. David Shearing was a big guy, around 6 foot 3, 3 inches and 250 pounds. People called him Moose and Tank. Detective Eastham expected him to have a big booming voice, but was surprised that he was quietly spoken. Eastham described his drooping brown moustache that gave him a tough western look, coupled with eyes that were described as dark and lifeless. It was clear to Eastham that that David Shearing had, quote, had his nose rearranged a few times. It was spread all over his face. Must have been in one of those fights. Eastham asked if David had any issues with the police. The man admitted he didn't have a lot of money and was trying to supplement his income by stealing. He described himself as being really stupid and also blamed the crowd he hung out with. Eastham noticed that David was getting uncomfortable, so he switched back to casual questions, asking him about friends and hobbies he had and what he liked to do in his spare time. David said he got along with pretty much everybody in Clearwater. And as for hobbies, he liked to play the guitar, work on trucks and go fishing. He confirmed he liked to drink alcohol and said he hadn't done many drugs since high school. Eastham then asked David if he liked to hunt and David quickly replied no. Too quickly, in Eastham's opinion, and he also said no to owning guns. This was especially interesting because he'd told the officer on the ride to the station that he had a.22 calibre rifle that had been at his mum's house. The investigators asked him if he had any idea why they'd brought him to the station. David replied that he didn't know. He was an honest guy who didn't have anything to hide. Detective Eastham then read him his rights. The first time David suddenly asked them, are you guys investigating the Johnson Bentley murders? It was interesting that he would be the one to bring it up. Eastham asked him if he'd been questioned about the crime before, and David confirmed that he had been interviewed the first time by the rcmp. In any event, Eastham told him that wasn't why he was there today. They'd brought him in because of the hit and run and the rumours they'd heard from multiple people about his involvement. David Shearing immediately confessed. I was driving, I guess you know that. Easton asked him to recount what happened that night. The story was the same as what his friend Ross had told the rcmp. He was driving after a night of partying and they were going too fast up the top of a hill when suddenly his headlights illuminated a shape and before he had time to react, they collided and the whole car bounced. David said he was scared shitless because that meant the shape was a person and they were likely now dead and he'd been drinking. When asked how he felt at the time, David David said he was really confused and upset that he'd killed someone. He was upset about it for a while afterwards, too, and still thought about it often. At this point, Detective Eastham left to grab some coffee and when he came back, David appeared to be crying. Later, he rested his head in his left hand with his elbow on the table in A kind of slouched over position. With a pen and paper, David wrote down his statement of the events of the hit and run and they reviewed it together before he signed off. When they were done, the detective asked David, what do you think about the Johnson and Bentley murders? David replied that it was pretty bad for the community. Eastham asked if he knew the area where the truck and camper were found. David said, yes, Trophy Mountain. Eastham started to ask if David knew where the families had been killed and David suddenly interrupted and said, bear Creek. The Bear Creek location was never made public and instantly a look on David's face made it clear he'd realised what he'd done. He said, I think I need to speak to a lawyer now. As his lawyer was contacted and told to come to the station, Eastham knew they had the man they'd been looking for and needed for him to confess. And they needed to find out why David had decided an entire family of six needed to die that day. But they knew once his lawyer arrived, he'd be advised not to talk. So they had a very limited amount of time and they had to be strategic. Detective Easton used the tactic of a shot, assuring the perpetrator that they're a good person. They just made a massive mistake. He told the 24 year old quote, David, I don't know what triggered you to do it. I know it happened. I just don't know why. You do need a lawyer. There's no question about it. You need one. I know what happened and so do you. The difference is you know all the details and I don't. As David started crying again, Eastham had detected that he was worried about what his mother might think and said, don't make me involve your mother. I don't want to go and search her place or your brother's place. I know what happened and I know it was something that got right out of hand. As David cried even louder, Eastham tried to reassure him as best he could. This was his chance to make things easy. He'd already confessed about the hit and run, so he probably wants to confess to this too. But they did understand that he was scared and felt under pressure. David replied, I could shoot myself, Detective. Eastham's experience and intuition told him they were inching closer to a confession and the lawyer still hadn't arrived. After more prompting questions about the murders of the Johnson and Bentley families, Eastham asked David point blank if he remembered it well. He replied, yes. And with that, the person responsible for the murders of George, Edith Jackie Bob and Janet and Karen, a horrific crime that had led the RCMP on an expensive and highly publicised wild goose chase around the country, had just taken the first step and admitted to it. But now to get the details, to find out why. Still crying, David told them the gun was still at his mother's farm and drew a map of its location. He also drew maps of the Welles Grey Provincial park to mark each of the points of his confession. And from there it all came out. David confirmed the RCMP's theory that he had seen the families camping at the old Bear Creek Prison when he'd been driving home from work. He said he decided to take a walk that night and found himself heading back to that spot. He went to a vantage point where he could look in on the campers and watched with idle curiosity as the four adults and two young girls bustled around a fire lit campsite site. He told the investigators that at one point he thought he'd been spotted, so he went back across the field and hid in some shrubs. After he realised he was wrong and the campers were still not aware of his presence lurking in the bushes, David headed home. He said the next night he went back following the same path. Being a local bushman and expert on the terrain, he knew exactly how to approach the campsite. He went through the bushes to enter the campsite area from the other side, where the back of the truck and camper was. He crept up beside the truck and saw that the four adults were sitting around the campfire. He slowly crept up behind them and raised his gun, the.22 caliber rifle. Four bangs, four people shot in the head. He had crept up so close that he only spent what he needed, one bullet per person. The lives of George and Edith Bentley and their daughter Jackie and her husband Bob were extinguished by David Shearing before they had a chance to realise what was happening. David then went to the tent where he said Janet and Karen were sleeping. He shot them both too. He dragged the bodies to the Johnsons Chrysler Plymouth and piled them inside. Then he went back to the campsite, took down the tents and quickly cleaned up, stealing any tools and gear that caught his interest. He drove the car with the bodies of the two families he'd just killed to another area and parked it. And the next day he drove the truck and camper, leaving the two vehicles together before returning again to rifle through their belongings and take what he wanted. He then waited until a dark night and drove the Chrysler up to Battle Mountain, right in the heart of the provincial park, taking it into the bush as far as he could, moving logs and a couple of rocks along the way. Eventually, the car got stuck and he decided to leave it where it lay. He poured gas inside the car and then lit the car on fire. David said he watched the car burn for a while, flames leaping toward the sky, and then he headed home. And a few more days later, David drove the truck and camper up Trophy Mountain Road again, driving it into the bushes and tending to roll it into the gorge. But it too got stuck. He used a full jerrycan of fuel to set it on fire and again stood and watched as it burned before returning home. David Shearing had confessed to the murder of the Johnson and Bentley families. But the RCMP was still unclear on the motive. All David would say was that he wanted their stuff. To kill six people just for some tools and gear did not make sense. Investigators had been interviewing David for six hours and didn't believe he was telling the whole truth. But they at least had enough to charge him, enough for a conviction. They asked him if he had anything more to say. He said he didn't and then added, just that. I feel really bad about it. David Shearing was charged with six counts of second degree murder. The Crown considered charging him with first degree murder, but didn't think they had enough evidence to prove planning and intent. After David Shearing had been charged, pictures of him appeared in the local media and he was described by the Vancouver sun as about 6 foot 3, 190 pounds, with curly brown hair and a thin brown moustache. The public interest was massive, with everyone wanting to know exactly who this monster was that could commit such a horrific crime and then evade capture for over a year. By all accounts, there was nothing out of the ordinary uncovered about David Shearing's childhood. It all seemed very, very normal. He grew up on an isolated farm where he enjoyed exploring 160 acres of spectacular wilderness scenery. His parents were hardworking and he had two siblings. Nothing notable happened in his childhood. His school counselor observed him to be quiet, shy and self conscious. A C average student. After high school, he reportedly struggled to find a full time job. So he found temporary work with a local craftsman. He eventually decided to attend the local community college and studied mechanics for six months. He did well and received an award for coming second in the class. Over the next five years, he would move from job to job. Multiple former employers said David was a good and conscientious worker. He would do any task without complaining. But for some reason he never stayed at any one job. For very long. David apparently loved to read. Mostly mechanic magazines, handyman books and science fiction. He liked to fish and hike. His brother would describe him as kind, sympathetic and and sensitive. Quote Although at times he drank to excess, his drinking was not an obvious problem to the family. At some point their father was diagnosed with cancer, which became terminal, and he passed away in March of 1982. This was just five months before David murdered the Johnson and Bentley family. A colleague observed him to be extremely upset after this because he admired his father greatly and felt like he'd lost a friend as well as a father. But apparently by that summer, he was back to himself. That was the same summer that the Johnson and Bentley families disappeared. David Shearing appeared nonchalant during a short court appearance. And after the hearing was over, he tried to shield his face. But media outlets managed to show a side profile shot of a man with a hardened face that looked much older than his 24 years. The day after his confession, the RCMP took him back to each of the three locations so he could show them what he did at each. Bear Creek, where he murdered all six members of the family. Battle Mountain, where he burned their bodies inside the Johnsons, Chrysler and Trophy Mountain, where he burned their truck and camper. David then showed investigators where he hid the small aluminum boat and the other belongings. Then he took them to his house and took the.22 caliber rifle off the gun rack in the living room wall and handed it over. It was the same size bullet wound that forensic investigators had found in the cremated remains. And it matched the six shell casings found at Bear Creek. David also returned a Walkman that belonged to Janet and Karen, the Johnsons family camera, and a bunch of the family's clothes, as well as some tools. And then he was taken back to jail. After 14 months, the investigation was finally over. In total, police had processed nearly 13,000 tips and leads and had 30 filing cabinets worth of paperwork. But the RCMP still wanted what they suspected was the real motive for the crime. Detective Mike Eastham asked David Shearing if he would ever tell them what his true motive was. And he said he would tell them when he was ready. David was looked over by a local physician who assessed his potential need for a referral for treatment for mental illness. He was deemed to be not mentally ill and fit for trial. In the lead up to the hearing where he would be required to plead guilty or not guilty, Detective Mike Eastham continued to visit him in jail. He said he thought it was time that David told the truth about why he murdered the families David still refused to speak. Easton promised he would be back to check again. On April 16, 1984, 25 year old David Shearing cried as he pleaded guilty to six counts of second degree murder. The Edmonton Journal described him as a hulking, bright, broad shouldered man with a hook nose. At the sentencing hearing the Crown asked the judge to give the 25 year old the maximum sentence. Quote, there is never an excuse for murder but there's usually a reason. But here there is not even that. There was no alcohol and no drugs involved. There is not the slightest suggestion that these six people annoyed the accused or even insulted him. There is nothing. It was a senseless killing of six innocent and totally defenceless strangers. The defence argued for leniency and gave a few reasons. They claimed the death of David's father of cancer a few months before he committed the murders had left him distraught and drinking heavily. His lawyer reminded the judge of his client's cooperation in the investigation and emphasised that he appeared remorseful and David had apparently contemplated suicide often but decided he couldn't go through with it. The defence said that the reason why he was pleading guilty is because he didn't want the family and friends of the Johnson and Bentley families or his own friends and family to go through a trial. Letters from his friends, former employer and brother were presented as positive testament to his character, describing him as a polite, shy and charming young man who was always trying to help other people and was more at home on a mountainside than in a large crowd. All maintained they were shocked when it was announced that David Shearing was the murderer. It seemed so out of character for what they knew of him. His mother had said that she hoped it was a bad dream. He's always been such a good boy. He's always worked hard and he always saw that I had everything. David's brother had been angrily quoted in the media saying he had a hard time believing everything and was going to refrain from saying anything because it, quote, wouldn't be fair to Dave. He asked what happened to this young fellow who was kind and considerate in the defence's clothes. Closing statement. David's lawyer called the murders a frightening and horrendous act but appealed to the judge to keep in mind that David Shearing is still a human being. Before sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Harry McKay described the crime as the cold blooded and senseless execution of six defenseless and innocent victims for no apparent reason. He described the case as being at the upper range of culpability because the Johnson and Bentley families were unknown to David Shearing and they did not in any way provoke him. He knew they were camped at the site and carefully scouted the situation. He went home and returned either that night or the next with a loaded.22 caliber rifle. Why? We do not really know, but it seems it was to rob and kill. The judge added there were no mitigating factors and the enormity of the crimes demanded the maximum sentence. As for all of those good character reports presented by David's family, friends and acquaintances, the judge stated that for the purposes of the matter at hand, it was all negated by the enormity of his crimes. Obviously there is another side of him which even his family and closest friends are unaware, a side that makes him, in my view, a very dangerous man. There is a David Shearing who, without any apparent motive, walked into a campfire light and deliberately shot and killed the four adults and who then knelt at the tent flap and shot and killed the two young girls. And then there is the David Shearing who carried out an elaborate, time consuming and ghoulish cover up. Yes, I agree I must consider the character of the accused as described by his friends and acquaintances and by his family family. But I must also keep firmly in mind the other David Shearing, the one who committed these dreadful crimes. David Shearing was sentenced to the maximum penalty of six life sentences to be served concurrently or at the same time with no chance of parole for 25 years, which would make him eligible. In 2008, Justice Harry MacKay said it was the harshest sentence ever given for second degree murder in Canadian history. At the time, This was not the end of the story. We'll be back to continue in a moment but if you're ready to support the Johnson Bentley family now, please press pause and sign their petition. There's a link in the show notes. Thank you so much. Let's be real. When it comes to your health, authenticity matters. For nearly 30 years Iherb has quietly built one of the world's leading online wellness destinations trusted by millions of customers in 180 countries. At iHerb, every product comes from verified top rated brands stored, handled and shipped directly from our own climate controlled, state of the art facilities. No third party sellers, no shortcuts, just the highest standards of quality and transparency from cart to doorstep. That's why more and more people are turning to iHerb, where wellness and integrity meet. Visit iHerb.com trusted wellness delivered worldwide. Hey, it's Marc Maron from WTF here to let you know that this podcast is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. And I'm sure the reason you're listening to this podcast right now is because you chose it well. Choose Progressives Name your price tool and you could find insurance options that fit your budget so you can pick the best one for your situation. Who doesn't like choice? Try it@progressive.com and now some legal info. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates price and coverage match limited by state law not available in in all states. The Bentley and Johnson families had been obliterated. What remained of their family banded together to make sure their side were represented in court. Jackie had two siblings, Sharon and Brian. Outside court, Brian told reporters that he could have understood what had happened and if David Shearing had been a hardened criminal. But he said the family was satisfied with the sentence as he got the maximum. David's lawyer did not file an appeal. In the time after the sentencing, lead Detective Eastham went to meet with David in prison. Everything was behind them. David had been sentenced and there was nothing more to be done, nothing for him to lose. It was time for him to tell the real motive for the murders. As Easton wrote in his book the Seventh Shadow, he had an idea of what the answer might be. And he believed the two girls, Janet and Karen Johnson, were at the center of it all. He reminded David that he had promised and it was time to collect. It was time to tell the whole story and he was not going to take no for an answer. David started talking the first night that he saw the family at the Bear Creek site on his way home from work. He focused in on the two girls, particularly 13 year old Janet with her long blonde hair. He said when he returned to the campsite the next night, he waited until the girls had gone to bed. Quote, I never knew I was going to have to kill those other four to get the girls. Eastham couldn't detect any emotion or remorse in his voice as he spoke. Once they were in the tent, David said he crept up behind the camper with his rifle in hand. One of the women saw him and stood up. He wasn't sure if it was Edith Bentley or Jackie Johnson because it was a dark night. David yelled, don't move. I got a gun. Then Bob Johnson stood up. David shot him. The first shot. Bob started gurgling and making a noise. David assumed that he had shot him in the throat. Then David saw George Bentley running over to the truck and he fired at him. He then saw Jackie run over to the tent to protect him. Her daughters Janet and Karen. But as she passed the Halfway point between the tent and the campfire. David shot her in the head and she fell to the ground. Then he set his sights on Edith who was trying to get inside the camper. He came up behind her and shot her in the head. David turned to the tent where he knew the girls were and and walked over. He opened the front flap and saw 13 year old Janet and 11 year old Karen sitting up on their elbows. They asked him what the noise was and he told them there were some bad people out there and that their parents had told him to stay in the tent with them while they went to get help. The girls asked if it was motorbike people and David told them that yes and it was and advised them to stay put and don't come out of the tent. He told Detective Eastham that he shut the tent flap again and looked around. He noticed that Bob Johnson was still alive, still making the gurgling noises. Holding on for dear life. He shot him again. David said he then piled the bodies of the four adults in the back seat, the seat of the car and covered them with a blanket. When he was done, he crawled back into the tent with Janet and Karen. The girls must have been absolutely terrified. Just 13 and 11 year old girls reduced to waiting in a tent for their parents to return for help at the mercy of the strange man who they hoped was on their side. He was not. As Detective Eastham wrote in his book, I knew what he was going to tell me as soon as he was in that tent with those girls. But there was no experience in the RCMP that could have prepared me for my reaction. After Janet and Karen Johnson survived their first sexual assault, David Shearing ordered them to help him take down their tent, clean up the rest of their site and put almost everything in the camper. The girls kept asking where their parents were and each time he said they were still off getting help. He told the detective that he knew they hadn't seen him shoot their parents so they didn't have any reason not to believe him. He added that Janet and Karen considered him their hero. Mike Eastham knew that when was bullshit from his book the Seventh Shadow Quote. Edith and Jackie must have been screaming at the top of their lungs when Bob was shot. And the report of a.22 caliber, while not very loud, is a real awakening snap. I firmly believe they had seen it all. Their dad being shot down in mid sentence. Their grandfather being killed near the truck. Mummy struck down by a bullet bullet as she ran to save them. Grandma stalked and shot in the back of the head at point blank range. Eastham said he believed the girls had seen it all and he would not be convinced otherwise. David Shearing kept Janet and Karen as hostages for around a week, maybe longer. He couldn't quite remember. And during this time they were repeatedly sexual, sexually assaulted and tortured. He said the first day, he ordered them to get into the front seat of their family car, the Chrysler Plymouth. In the back seat were the bodies of their parents and grandparents covered in a blanket. He drove them all to a different location and told Janet and Karen to set up the tent there and to just stay put because those biker people were still out there. He said, quote, they were so scared, they did everything I told them to. With the girls in the tent, he walked back to the campsite to pick up the truck and camper. He wanted to hide it somewhere within the woods on his mother's farm. He then went back to the tent and fed the girls a story that he'd saved their parents and helped them get away. And apparently they would be back. Once they were set up in the tent, David warned Janet and Karen not to go anywhere because the bears, wolves and bikers could find them. And when he felt they were settled, he went back home. The next day after work, he went back to the tent where the girls were still waiting. He told them that he talked to their parents again and they agreed it was the safest for them to stay put put. According to David, quote, they were pretty happy with that story and they trusted me. We talked a lot at night before they went to sleep. There was three more days and nights of this nightmare situation for Janet and Karen, who were doing everything they were told in the hope that they would stay safe to be reunited with their parents. Then David told them that their parents were going to meet them at a fishing cabin. It would be a long walk to the cabin through the brush in the dark. He told Detective Eastham that it was raining and the girls were wet and really cold and likely completely broken by this point. The cabin was quite a way away, it seemed, and the first night of the walk, they camped underneath a sheet of plastic that David had suspended with some string between some trees. He told Eastham that the girl slept in one sleeping bag and he slept in the other. The next day, he said they made it to the cabin, same sleeping arrangements. He carved the initials DS JJ on the wall of the cabin. David Shearing and Janet Johnson. The existence of this carving was later verified and it was clear now that Janet Johnson was the main target of the attack. The next morning they woke up in the cabin and saw some people fishing in the river. Then there was a knock on the door. David quickly hid the girls behind the door and ordered them to be quiet. It was a local prison guard from the New Bear Creek Correctional Facility who told David that those people fishing in the river were local prisoners on a supervised fishing trip and there was no need for concern. The girls were silent and David was sure that the guard hadn't seen or heard anything. Detective Easton would verify this story by tracking down the prison guard who remembered the encounter and was likely horrified to learn there were two young girls being held hostage hostage behind the door. David Shearing continued with his story the next day. He said he took Janet and Karen back to his mother's farm. He then took 11 year old Karen for a walk into the woods and told her to look away because he needed to urinate. When she turned her head, David shot her. Then he went back to where Janet was and when she asked about her little sister, David told her that he tied her to a tree. He kept Janet alive for one more night, describing it from his warped mind as though the two of them finally had some time alone together and they stayed up most of the night talking. He also commented about Janet's inexperience when it came to sex, as though he wasn't at all a 24 year old man sexually assaulting a 13 year old child. The next day David took Janet out the back and told her to turn her head so he could urinate. She lived 24 hours longer than her sister, but her fate was the same. David Shearing had ended all six lives and now it was time to get rid of their bodies. The entire time he'd held Janet and Karen as hostages, the bodies of George, Edith, Jackie and Bob had remained in the back of the Chrysler, covered in a blanket. He put Janet and Karen's bodies in the trunk, then drove the car to Battle Mountain where he drove it into the trees until it got stuck. He poured the gas on it and set it alight, watching it burn before he returned home. So finally the RCMP and the families had a motive for the crime. And it was about as bad as anyone could imagine. The motive was not made public until early 1986. The remaining members of the Bentley and Johnson families were utterly devastated to learn the truth. Truth although horrific, Edith and George's son Brian told the Vancouver sun that this was really the only motive that made any sense. The family were still trying to come to terms with the murders as they knew them the fact that David Shearing had shot all six of their family members together. But learning now that he had kept the girls alive for more than a week after that, Kyle, coupled with the unspeakable things he did to them before the horrific way they died, was almost too much to bear. It's something that we are learning to live with and when something like this comes up, it's an upheaval. When David Shearing's family found out that paedophilia and sexual assault was the motive for the attack, they were shocked again. His mother Ro said he was never after girls. This is shocking. He had several girlfriends, but he didn't date them seriously. He wasn't wild. At some point, David Shearing changed his last name to his mother's maiden name, Ennis. And nine years after his sentencing, he met a woman called Heather. Through a friend of a friend. They started writing letters and then Heather started visiting him in prison. They began a relationship and the next year, 1994, they got married. Heather reportedly already had two children and changed her name to Heather Ennis. She would visit her new husband four times a week and every two months she would join him for a family or conjugal visit, a three day weekend at the prison in special facilities facilities. Court documents reveal that four years after they were married, Heather accepted a job as manager at an event venue. But when the venue discovered she was married to David Ennis, formerly David Shearing, they terminated her employment. She took them to court for wrongful dismissal and argued that David is a changed man and she has a hard time believing that he could kill a fly. He feels remorse. I've watched him cry. This has hurt everyone. The time has come for him to work his way back. She said. His heart is in the right place and she was there to back him up. David Ennis did complete some sex offender programs while in prison starting from 1995, the year after he and his new wife got married. He did another program program four years later and then he attended maintenance and relapse prevention programs. In 2000 and 2001, he made multiple requests to complete another program in exchange for a transfer to a minimum security facility, but his requests were denied. The organisers of the program had assessed his attendance and his progress when it came to awareness and change and had formed the opinion that he was only attending the programs to move to a lower security facility. In 2008, 49 year old David applied for parole as soon as he was eligible after serving 25 years. As part of the hearing, David had to talk about the things he'd done. He repeated the story he'd told Mike Eastham about his fixation on the girls, particularly Janet, and told a story about one of the times he sexually assaulted her, ending with the statement, quote, I lost the excitement I had felt. I wasn't able to continue any further with the sadistic part of it. At this point. David apologised to what was left of the Johnson and Bentley families for the first time. He said, quote, my crime was an enormous, brutal and inexcusable tragedy resulting in tremendous loss to the community that I can never make up for. He said he was deeply ashamed of his crimes and wanted a chance at a new life. Janet and Karen's cousin Shelley Bowden would tell the Huffington Post that it was the first time he'd said sorry and they felt that after nearly 30 years it seemed a bit too late. David's parole officer told the panel that he was at a moderate risk to reoffend and recommended against his release. According to reporting by the Calgary Herald, five family members wept as they read victim impact statements. One family member, Michelle, said she didn't believe that David was truly sorry. And a woman called Kelly, one of the cousins of the girls, recounted the memorial that had been held for George and Edith Bentley and Jackie, Bob, Janet and Karen Johnson. She said all that remained of her much loved relatives fit into a single child's coffin. Four adults and two children, all in a baby basket. The parole board told David Ennis they were suspicious of his motivation for parole and weren't sure his taking the programs was really about understanding himself and getting better or just an attempt to get more freedom and privileges. It was also noted that Ennis had been diagnosed with sexual sadism with indications of antisocial personality disorder, the clinical diagnosis widely referred to as psychopathy. This indicates he experiences psychiatric sexual arousal in response to the pain, suffering or humiliation of others and shows a persistent disregard for right and wrong, a lack of empathy and an absence of remorse. It's important to note that there's no scientific evidence that antisocial personality disorder can be cured. While certain medications and therapies may help some individuals manage behaviour and reduce risk of of harm, ideally with early intervention, it needs a genuine commitment to change and long term intensive treatment and maintenance. The parole board found that David Ennis had not fully absorbed the impact of his crimes. He continued to struggle with issues related to pornography and showed limited insight into the role substance use played in both his sexual sexual deviance and violent offending. Parole was denied at the time. Once a prisoner reached their first parole eligibility date, they were automatically eligible for a review for full parole every two years. After that, he waived the right to his next review and applied for parole again in 2012. By this point, 53 years old, he again acknowledged that he killed the four adults to gain access to Janet Johnson, then killed Janet and younger sister Karen to cover up what he'd done and avoid accountability. The parole board found that significant risk concerns remained despite the decades that had passed. Even David Ennis's own parole officer recommended against release, stating that he could not be safely managed in the community. The parole board noted that Ennis continued to report fantasies of sexual deviance and told him to re enrol in a high intensity sexual offender treatment program. It also found that he had not demonstrated a sufficient understanding of his risk factors or how to manage them to protect public safety. Safety. Before parole could even be considered, Ennis was told he would need to progress through the system by first earning a transfer to medium security and then establishing credibility through temporary absences. Parole is not just a request. It's a commitment that requires action, not just words. Parole was again denied in 2014. Ennis applied again, but withdrew his request. A month before the hearing began, the Johnson and Bentley family was relieved. Preparing for a parole hearing is an exhausting and re traumatising process. For victims families. The emotional and physical strain of having to do this every two years became so severe that the family advocated for for legislative change. And they were successful. The law was amended, extending the interval between parole reviews from two years to five. The next parole hearing took place in 2021. Ennis was seeking full parole. He was now 62 years old. In preparation, the Johnson Bentley family launched a national petition citing the Parole Board of Canada's own mandate that the protection of society is paramount. Public safety must remain the foremost concern. The risk associated with granting him parole far outweighs any argument for his potential rehabilitation. Thousands of you signed the petition and the family told me at the time it resulted in a sudden surge in more signatures. They arrived at the hearing with boxes containing more than 100,000 signatures printed across 4,000 pages as evidence the community would not feel safe if Ennis were released. At that hearing, David Ennis spoke about the hit and run where he killed a young man several years before the Johnson Bentley murders. He said that getting away with that crime made it easier for him to escalate his violence. As far as anyone knows, the next crime he committed was after he saw the Johnson Bentley family's vehicles parked at Wells Grey Park. Ennis again spoke of his interest in 13 year old Janet Johnson and why he killed her entire family. Quote, I saw them as a means to an end, basically as being in the way of what I wanted at the time. When asked what he did to Janet and 11 year old Karen the week he held them captive after he'd murdered the adults, Ennis would not answer directly. He claimed, quote, when I saw the effects of that violence in real life, Janet was crying as was Karen. Those things stopped me from escalating to more violence. It did stop me from using the violence for sexual gratification. He told the panel that he'd experienced violent sexual fantasies since his mid teens, including rape and murder. He did not provide details about a specific sexual interest in young girls and there's no indication the board asked. He apologised again and claimed he has powerful feelings of shame and regret and better understands their pain. He said he'd attended several sex offender programs and courses and despite being assessed as a moderate risk to reoffend, he personally believed he was only low risk. Nine victim impact statements were presented with family members urging the parole board to reject the application. While speaking to their continued fear, fear, grief and the profound harm caused by the murders, they spoke about the lasting impact on their own families, including the intergenerational trauma that continues to affect both adults and children decades later. The family members also described living with ongoing anxiety and concern for public safety if he's released. The parole board acknowledged David Ennis's positive efforts in custody, including better communication and engagement in programming and correctional planning. However, the board concluded that these factors were outweighed by serious and ongoing risks. The board emphasised the gravity and severity of his crimes, noting that Ennis continued to experience deviant sexual fantasies and struggled to manage them. His diagnosis of sexual sadism was found to remain largely unchanged. While Ennis claimed he was self monitoring his risk factors, the board found those claims could not be verified. The Parole Board concluded that releasing David Ennis on either day or full parole would significantly compromise public safety. Neither the psychologist nor Correctional Service Canada supported the release. The most appropriate place for Ennis remained within the safety and security of the institution. The parole board denied his application. A spokesperson for the Johnson Bentley family later told the media that Enes only showed remorse for where he was, not for what he had done. They noted from the hearing that even his own wife did not want him living with her full time if released. More than 40 years later, the family says nothing has diminished their fear of the threat. Ennis would pose to them and to the public if he was ever released. That is why they continue to fight. Although the parole board has repeatedly found significant risk concerns remain, and releasing David Ennis would seriously compromise public safety, he's still eligible to apply, which sets the process in motion again. And here we are. His next parole hearing is in 2026, but the family only has until the end of January to send in their submission and paperwork. They need your help. If you live in Canada and would like to support them, please pause and sign the petition. There's a link in the show notes or visit canadiantruecrime.ca thank you so much in advance. Here's a little bit more from my short conversation with Shelley Bowden, the cousin of Janet and Karen.
