National Park After Dark - Murder of Six: Wells Gray Provincial Park (Part 2)

Episode Date: September 16, 2024

In August of 1982, three generations of one family went on a two week vacation into the mountains of British Columbia. Over a year later, David Shearing was arrested and went to trial for all six of their murders. But as time went on the details of what happened that night and in the days that followed emerged and were more horrific than anyone could have anticipated.For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodesFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!Zocdoc: Use our link to download the Zocdoc app for free.Liquid IV: Use code NPAD at checkout to get 20% off you first order.BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to National Park After Dark. we have part two of our Wells Gray Provincial Park murder case. Yes, the anticipated part two you left us on quite a cliffhanger at the end of that. So I'm really curious to see where this is going to lead us. Yeah. So this case, it's only going to be, I'm only doing it two parts.

I had a few messages about that. So it's not going to be a multi-part from here on out. This will be the conclusion. But before we get into the finale of this case, we do have a merch update for everybody. Talk about anticipation. Merch is a hot topic. It is. And we're so happy that you're also patient and thankful for that just as an update.

I think before we might have said it on the podcast. I don't know where we said it. But we said it was going to be September 9th, I believe, which was what we were anticipating. But we got a little carried away and we decided to add a new design that we've never had before, which pushed out things just as midget. So now it is set to launch on Monday the 20th instead. And it'll launch at 10 a.m. Eastern, 7 a.m. Pacific Standard time. So it's coming. It's almost here. And we have a brand new design, which we're really excited about. Yeah. So just a few more days hang in there. We're probably. of the newest design and we already talked about it. Yeah, we definitely talked about it on the show because we talked about the design, right? Yeah, maybe.

We can't remember. We've talked about it a lot personally, but anyway. So yeah, that's the newest update with March. So you can find it on our store on our website. We'll link it all that good stuff. Just in time for spooky season. That's right. Okay. So I'm going to give a brief recap as we always do with any multi-part episodes. Of course, it's better if you just go back and listen to the first episode to get all the details. But I'll just refresh everybody's memories, especially yours, because it's been a while. So here we go. In part one, we were introduced to the Bentley and Johnson families. Bob, Jackie, and their two daughters, Karen and Janet Johnson, were on vacation with Jackie's parents, George and Edith Bentley. They were on a two-week vacation in British Columbia and camping just outside of Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, in August of 1982.

When August 16th came around and all six members of the family failed to arrive back home by their scheduled return, by date, concerned co-workers and family members contacted the police. A large investigation was launched to locate the family, but tragically, their remains were found charred and piled into Bob's burnt-out vehicle, which was found off of a rugged road in a remote area of the park. Despite locating George's truck in the family's campsite, the investigation which had been rolled a homicide times six, eventually lulled and began to grow cold over a year after Bob, Jackie, Karen, Janet, Edith, and George were killed. At the end of part one, we were introduced to suspect number one, David Shearing and left off in the interview room with him seated across some Sergeant Eastham, one of the lead detectives on the case. just as David was coming clean about his involvement in the crimes. So that's where we left off in part one.

Yes. So we're back in this interview room. The sergeant has David kind of right where he wants him starting to open up about a bunch of different things. I mean, this lasted hours. But now he's really getting to the meat of why he wanted him there in the first place. And that was the Bentley and Johnson murders. So after several hours in the interview room, in a carefully crafted discussion that ran the gamut of sharing's life and his previous crimes,

Sergeant Easton had sharing right where he wants him, and that's talking about this particular case. Oh, yeah, because he was starting it off with the hit and run that he was associated with. Yeah. And then he, but for real, he wanted to speak about these murders. Yeah, because he does care about the other individual who was killed in a hit and run that David was responsible for. but the true motive here is to talk about this huge case. That has been as part of the investigation team for well over a year now. And this next part took nearly all night. Shearing shared his version,

versions, important note. Okay. At the event, he clarified questions from the detectives, pointed out various specific locations on maps, and wrote down a very detailed confession. But this is essentially, what he shared in his story. In August of 1982, David was still living at his family's home, located within two miles of the Bentley Johnson campsite. He was driving home from work one night

and noticed the campers at their site nearby. Later that same evening, he decided to go on a walk. While passing the campsite, he hid in the nearby bushes and watched the family, only scurrying away after he thought that one of the adults had noticed him. After ensuring that no one had seen him, or at least, at the very least, followed him home. He went back to his home and went to sleep. The next evening, he returned to his same hiding spot in the nearby bushes surrounding the campsite, careful to stay away from the light of the fire, but this time he had a 22-caliber rifle with him. He noticed four adults around the fire. Three of them were seated, and one of them was standing, and they were chatting and laughing, and that is when he made his move. He stated that he shot the four adults first,

making his way to the tent and killed the two girls before loading all of the bodies into the back of Bob's Plymouth. Okay. Next, he took time to collect the family's belongings that were scattered around the campsite and piled them into the back of the truck camper. Because remember, there's two vehicles here. There's Bob Johnson's Plymouth vehicle. And then there's George Bentley's truck. He has a truck with a camper, like, attachment on the. back and a boat on top, which is the one that they made that replica of. Do you remember he's talking about that they were driving? Yeah. So there's two vehicles, but he piled all of the bodies into the Plymouth. He cleaned up the campsite, put everything that was around the campsite and anything associated with the crime into the back of the truck camper and moved both

vehicles into a nearby field before we're returning home for the rest of the evening. The next day, he went back to the vehicles, took out the belongings, anything of value, tools, and equipment that he wanted for his own personal use. And then he drove the Plymouth with all of the bodies piled into the back, up to Battle Mountain and torched it. Two days later, he removed the boat from the truck, which he had hid separately and did not burn initially, presumably for later use. He wanted to use it for himself. And drove the truck up Trophy Mountain. And drove the truck up trophy mountain to dispose of it. It was his plan to actually drive it further than it was later discovered at,

but it got stuck in the mud, so he lit it on fire where it was at, which was close to the precipice of that canyon that I described in part one as well. When he was asked why he committed such a violent and seemingly random crime, he simply said he didn't know. I mean, it seems like a very thought-out, deliberate plan to not have, have any explanation why. I mean, he saw these people and he essentially stalked them, saw, observed to them for at least 24 hours before coming in with the, so he had a plan.

Like, there was something going on here. He does have a history as well of theft and stealing equipment because he was in trouble for that. This has escalated so much further than theft. And I've stolen stuff before. I know. stolen. Old Navy underwear? I don't feel like. Okay. I have murdered families. You know, there's just like, it's such a huge leap. It is a huge leap, especially because of the equipment value. It just to me, it seems like such a desperate move for something that's worth so whittled in value. Before, when we were talking about the theft of the equipment that he was caught being involved with in part one, It was like $40,000 worth of equipment. And it was construction stuff that he used for his work, not justifying it at all. But he had a reason that he wanted it. For this, it's like, oh, you wanted someone's camper in their boat?

Like, I'm just confused that. Yeah. And you would ask, and you wanted it so badly you were willing to commit a horrific crime for it. Like it's just. It helps six people. Yeah, including two children. It just there has to be more of an explanation than I don't know. Yeah.

That's not acceptable. And this is probably not the time. I should have said it way earlier on at the top of this episode. But this is going to the murder of six people is violent enough, but it gets worse. And there's a lot of talk about sexual abuse of minors. So I just need to put that out there. It gets bad. And anyone who is familiar with this case will know that.

I'm not going to go into great detail because I don't want to. And I think it's a little much. But you'll get the idea. So just know that I make mention of that later on. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders.

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So that is the story that he initially shares. He's charged with six counts of second-degree murder, and he was flown to clear water so he could walk through a reenactment of the statement that he just gave. The community as a whole was relieved to hear about his arrest because for well over a year, locals felt really unsafe in their own homes and their backyards because there's just this big question mark as to who did this. And not to mention tourism. So tourism was the backbone of this particular area, which served as sort of a gateway to this big provincial park. And that, suffered tremendously because no one was interested in recreating somewhere that such a brutal

crime had taken place, especially knowing that the perpetrator or perpetrators hadn't yet to be caught. So yeah, no one wanted to go there. It's not like you're recreating in this place that's filled with other people and you're safe. If there's someone hiding out in the woods here and you are camping out in the woods and this, it's not like it happened to a single person. This person openly attacked six people. Yeah. So, No one. Everyone chose to go on to. Yeah. Same.

I would not be interested. Some members of the community were shocked to hear that it was David Shearing, while others had no issue believing not at all. His mother, Rose, was in complete shambles, unable to accept that her son could be capable of such violence. However, his detailed and methodical reenactment of the murders were chilling, leading investigators step by step through his movement. how and the order in which he killed each person, how when and where he destroyed the evidence and concluded with bringing the team to his home where he pointed to a gun rack on the wall

where the murder weapon was just hanging amongst other weapons. He's like, oh yeah, that one. It was that one. They just described it as being very methodical and it just was very chilling. Yeah, it feels very matter of fact. Like, yep, this is it. This is what I did. Like, no emotion behind it. just very cut and dry, this is what happened. Yes. And he's opening up about a lot of things,

which is interesting to me. Well, he opens up more eventually. So the trial was set to begin April 16, 1984. Fred Katz, one of the best defense attorneys in all of British Columbia, was to represent David Shearing, while Bob Hunter served as the lead prosecutor. However, there was to be no trial. The defense was pleading out to all six counts of second-degree murder, and the prosecutor. prosecution's job was essentially to ensure that the highest sentence permitted, which was life without the chance of parole for 25 years, was bestowed upon David. That was the goal of this. So that sentence seems pretty like, yeah, I would think that you would get life without the chance of parole for 25 years. But for a typical sentence for life consisted of life with just having to serve 15 years before being eligible for parole. So actually, this was quite a severe sentence for the time. We'll get into it a little more. I'm like, how is it severe if he has a possibility of parole and he's killed six people? Yep. So while the prosecution was readying for the big day, Sergeant Easton was restless.

There was just something about David's confession that did not sit right with him. More specifically, he felt that something was missing. Same. He had decades and decades of experience just gnawing at him, and he believed that David Shearing was not telling the full story, and he needed to get him to fess up. So on the morning of April 16th, he paid David a visit at his cell prior to his sentencing hearing. Sergeant Eastam explained to sharing how he knew there was more to the story, and by David's physical reaction to that, with his body language and just the way he tensed up and his eyes just, not making eye contact with him. He's like, I'm right. He knew that he was on the nose with that assumption. But David remained tight-lipped. He didn't say anything, and he went forward with attending his hearing without further comment to the sergeant. He pled guilty to all six counts of second-degree murder.

And Judge Harry McKay passed down his sentence, but first made a statement, which read in part, quote, The facts as they emerge from his statement, shows the senseless, ruthless, cold-blooded slaughter of six innocent and defenseless victims, a slaughter that devastated three generations of a single family. Grandparents enjoying their retirement years, a family in the prime of their life, two young girls who had their whole lives in front of them, the victims were enjoying a family reunion and a camping trip on one of our wilderness areas when this senseless slaughter occurred. What a tragedy, what a waste, and for what? The judge went on to address sentencing, saying in part, quote, An increased the maximum of 25 years would be a rare event.

I am unaware of it being done in any other case to date. However, this is an appropriate case for such a drastic action. The enormity of the crimes demands the maximum sentence, and the maximum sentence he got. David Shearing was sentenced to life imprisonment without the eligibility for parole until 25 years of the sentence was served. After sentencing, Sergeant Eastam awaited another talk, eager to know if sharing would reveal what he had alluded that he was keeping.

Just a quick question. How old is he again? He's in his 20s at this point. Okay. So he can have an entire life after. He's in his 20s, so we'll say he's 50 when he gets out on parole. That's an entire like 30, 40 years potentially of out in the world again. And that's the worst sentence you can give for that.

That's a big point of contention that the family and loved ones of the Bentley and Johnson families had. He could get married. He could have kids. He could, well, just have a whole life. Just wait. Yeah. Yes. Yes. And that is, again, the Bentley and Johnson family, extended family and their loved ones talk a lot about how the system is broken and point to that. Exactly that. They're like, He just wiped away our three generations of a family. Yeah. And you're going to be like, children. Oh, okay. Well, after 25 years, he might be get a shot at freedom.

And that just doesn't add up and make sense. No. So we'll get a little bit more into that towards. And especially because he's given no reason. Well, yeah. Well, I'm, I'll let you tell the story. Okay. I'm just appalled.

You should be. You should be. and you will be more. David Charing was assured by his attorney that his sentencing was complete and nothing that he said at this point in time would change his sentence. Like it was already handed down and that was what he received from the judge. So because of that, he may have felt a little more comfortable with revealing more. And in fact, this attorney, David's attorney was like, hey, so Sergeant Easton will likely be the one writing parole board reports. For David Katz, he was so heavily involved in this case.

He may be involved in, or one of the determining factors or voices when it comes to parole down the line. If you're eligible, so you may want to come clean with whatever you have to do and be honest with him, because that may play out for you better in the future if you're just forthcoming with what he's asking of you. So that may have encouraged him too, but let's just say, like that sentiment didn't pan out. It was not right because what he had to say

would not earn him any sort of leniency points in anyone's mind. The truth of what unfolded was worse than what David initially confessed because it wasn't as cut and dry as he initially explained it.

It was true that he did first see the family at the Bear Creek site on his way home from work, either a Thursday or a Friday night he couldn't recall exactly. He watched them

for a period of time and went home. but not before making the decision that he wanted Carolyn and Janet. May I remind you, we're 11 and 13 years old. David, in his mid-20s at this point, also as a reminder, so he returned the next two evenings well aware of the fact that he would have to kill the four adults to get to the girls. So he came prepared with a rifle. This episode is brought to you by Prime.

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watching and calculating his next moves when one of the adult women noticed him. And he didn't remember if it was either Jackie or Edith, so the girl's mother or grandmother, but they were startled and began standing up from their seated position next to the fire because they noticed someone was watching them from the bushes. In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the woods. Yeah. And so they were startled. They start to get up and David makes his move.

He emerges from the bushes and he yells, don't move. I got a gun. As he approached the group, Bob stood up ready to defend his family, and he was shot in the neck and was on the ground, gurgling blood as David strode past him and began his killing spree. George was running towards his truck when he was struck near the passenger side of the vehicle, which, if you remember from part two, that bullet hole in the side of the truck,

that was kind of the holdback piece. that was from when George was killed. Jackie was shot in the head as she reached the tent with her girls in it as she was unsipping the tent. And Edith, who was attempting to take refuge in the camper, was shot in the head as well. David then approached the tent and the girls were clearly shaken and asked what all the noise was. David responded by saying there was some really bad people outside of their tent and that their parents had sent him in there to tell them to stay at the campsite with him while they all went to get help.

He instructed the girls to stay in the tent no matter what they heard because it wasn't safe to come out yet. He left them there and returned to Bob, their father, who was still alive and shot him once more because he was making noise. God. Quote unquote. Awful. He then loaded all four of the bodies of the grandparents and parents into the back

of the Plymouth. covered them with blankets and cleaned up the campsite. Next, he wiped the blood off of his hands and returned to the tent. The girl's still inside and crawled in between them. At this point, he described calming them and detailed to Sergeant Eastam, a sexual assault that took place. Once he dressed himself, he convinced the girls, this is just makes me emotional.

Once he dressed himself, he convinced the girls to help him break down the tent and pack the rest of their campsite up. He then asked several times, the girls during this were asking him several times where their parents were and what had happened, to which Shearing remarked, I guess they believed me as they, as they accepted everything I said. They didn't see me shoot their parents, so I guess they didn't have a reason to not believe me. So after cleaning up the campsite with the girls, the girls are helping him. Yeah. He, he, he, he, he, ordered them to sit next to him in the front seat of the Plymouth, which, yes, is the same car that has all four bodies of their family in the backseat. So awful. And drove them to his ranch,

which was just a couple miles down the road, where he made them then set up their tents again, instilling more fear into them by saying, hey, there's still bad people out here in the woods looking for them. He forced them to stay put while he returned. back to the Bear Creek site to dispose of the truck. When he returned, he told Janet and Karen that he had actually saved to their parents and helped them to safety and that to not worry because they would be coming back for them soon. Fearmongering even more, he told them that they needed to stay hidden inside their tents because there were bears and wolves and dangerous creatures outside.

I can't even imagine being these little girls right now. just so much fear that he's instilling on them and hope. There's hope there too. Like your parents are safe, but you're still in danger. I'm going to protect you even though I've already harmed you. Like they're afraid of this person. They're afraid of what's outside. They're afraid of where their parents are.

It's just like, this is awful. It's incomprehensible to really imagine what these moments were for these girls. just and watching a lot of interviews with their family and their friends that are now adults, just they can barely get through it without breaking down because it's so awful. David recalled how terrified the girls were, but he left them. And he said he went home. He slept the night in his bed, went to work the next day, and returned to the tent to give the girls some basic food and water items,

and to talk a lot at night before leaving again each day. And he did this for multiple consecutive days. So he's just acting like nothing happened. He goes home, sleeps, goes to work, goes about his life, and he has these two girls just trapped on his ranch, basically. Yeah. And because, again, this is just everything he's initially saying now to the sergeant. He said he thinks the murders took place.

on a Monday night and on a Friday evening, he returned for the girls once again. And this time said, hey, your parents are ready to meet you. And we're going to actually meet them at a nearby fishing cabin. Still terrified but relieved at the thought of seeing their parents, the girls followed David into the woods. It was pitch black and raining pretty hard. And they ended up sleeping out in the bush in the pouring rain under a plastic sheet. The following day, they made it to a river, which eventually led to a remote cabin where he forced them to stay. Sunday morning came with a knock on the cabin door.

David said he wasn't too concerned, but in reality, he was probably nervous as hell. Because who is this? Knocking at the door. He has two captive children. In the middle of nowhere. In the middle of nowhere. Yeah. And so he instructed the girls to remain really quiet and to stay hidden in case it was these bad people.

Again, he keeps referring to these bad people. Just scaring them. Yeah. And the visitor was of all people, Don Gordon, who was a prison guard for the nearby corrections facility. And he was there to inform David that the prisoners were on a daytime fishing excursion at the nearby stream next to near the cabin. But he didn't need to worry because they were minimum security inmates and there was nothing to fear. Meanwhile, he's talking to this guy. It's just like the coolest. thing.

And health is like so close too. Yeah. Like if he had known like. Yeah. And in the documentary, one of the documentaries I watched for this, Sergeant Easton was like, if only those girls screamed or made a noise or anything. And he's like not to put responsibility on them because it's not. But like if I had known I would have done something. Like if some if they, if they made a noise or if, you know, Don Gordon was alert.

to something off there how differently this could have gone. Potentially, we have no idea. I mean, clearly David is capable of extreme violence. But I understand having that guilt. Yeah. The girls did what they were told, but hours later, David ordered them back to the ranch. Shortly after returning, he instructed Janet to stay behind while he went out for a walk with Karen to speak about a private matter. Once out of eyesight from the ranch, he told Karen he had.

to take a leak and that she should turn around, which it's like, this is just such bullshit. Like, you're going to ask her to turn around while you pee while you're, meanwhile, you're sexually assaulting her. And also, isn't it usually the other way around? Like, doesn't the guy usually turn around to pee? Yeah, to look away from me. Whatever. Yeah.

But when she did turn around, regardless of why, what reasoning he gave her, she listened to him, turned around and that's when he retrieved a 22 that he had previously stashed behind a tree. He intentionally brought her to this exact location and he shot her in the back of the head. When he returned for Janet, who questioned where her sister was, he had told her he had tied her up to a tree and that they would go get her. He then claimed to have had a full night. Oh, this is just, yeah. He was like, okay, we can go get her. She's tied to a tree, but we're not going to go right now.

And he claimed to have had a full night talking about sex because she was a virgin and didn't know anything about it. So he was basically, he's like, I was giving her the birds and the bees. While she thinks her sister's tied to a tree, he just kept her all night to talk about. To give her a sex ed talk. Like there is no, I'm sorry, but there's no way. There's no way that that happened. There's no way he was just like, actually, I'm just going to give you a, like, you're not old enough. You don't know this yet.

So let me just tell you all about sex. Do you have any questions? I'll answer them for you. Like, there's no way. He is definitely doing way worse things to her. Oh, like you think he was doing more than that to her not having this conversation. Well, based on what you've said before that he was doing. But honestly, for me, that doesn't sound, I mean, I imagine that conversation happening and her just being terrified and just like sitting through it because he's mentally not there.

But I totally agree with your point to where it probably was way worse than that. But I can like the way that you're saying it, I could totally picture him doing that and her just being like terrified and just sitting through whatever he has to say. Yeah, I can envision that as well. I just don't believe a thing this guy says. Yeah. So whatever they do. that night, or he does to her. The next morning comes, which is now August 17th, and he repeats his actions. He takes Janet out to that spot near the stream. And again, after saying he has to

pee and that she should turn around, he retrieved his stashed weapon and killed her too in the same way. After loading the bodies of the girls into the trunk of the car that held the bodies of Bob, Jackie, George and Edith, he went to bed. And the following night after work, he drove the vehicles out, or the vehicle out to burn them. It was now 10 days after the initial murders were committed. And it's here where I paused to say that this version of events, not only me being like, yeah, no way, Sergeant Easton immediately was, he was heavily scrutinizing and other law enforcement officials that caught wind of this, heavily doubted. most of what he just unveiled to them.

Why? As far as with the girls. So in the law- Because he's admitted from sexual abuse at this point. Yes. But he was like, it was kind of like he was sharing half-truth is what they were saying.

Like feeling out what their reactions would be. Yeah, maybe. Like, give a couple breadcrumbs, see how they react to what he's saying and continue and not like give the full picture. Yeah.

maybe and I don't know the motivation behind that but because so like how the girls didn't know going back to the tent the original scene of the crime when he's shooting their parents and their grandparents and he just pops his head in to the tent and the girls are like what's going on out there they're not babies yeah 11 and 13 years old when you were saying that like He said that they didn't see him, shoot them, so they should believe him. I mean, they hear gunshots and then the only person that they don't know is him. Right. He's painting them to be these dumb, I don't know. I know their children and they're young. And they can certainly, especially over time, they can be warped into this false reality or whatever. I mean. Well, and fear can do a lot of things if you're afraid of someone. But to go right off the bat then be like, what's happening? Who are you? You're fine? Like, I just, like, me and I think a lot of the investigators had a lot of doubt with that right off the bat.

Fair. Like, thinking that, okay, they probably know that this guy isn't all the good. Well, and you said, you mentioned that the way that he said is she opened the tent, the kids saw her and then shot their mom. Yes. while she was talking to them. Well, she was about to open the tent for them. So they must have seen at least something. Right. So that's why that was like going right back to that very where everything starts to unfold.

They were like they're not that convinced that. I believe that he was their savior and that he was protecting them from other bad people. And that they willingly went with him places. Yeah. And then especially after sexually assaulting them the first time in the 10. And putting them into the front seat. I mean, if you look up a Plymouth, the car is the bodies are not even a foot behind you. It doesn't matter if there's a blanket over them or not.

Like they are literally inches from four dead bodies of their family. And you're telling me that they're okay with that. And they had no idea. They could put that together of like, okay, what is happening here? You know what I mean? Yeah. There's a lot of things that are. Yeah.

And then he also said about them that when they were in the cabin and they were forced to sleep under or on their way to the cabin and they were forced to sleep under that plastic sheet. And also when they were at the cabin, David went into detail about how he had separate sleeping bags for all of them and that they simply talked about sex. So you're telling me he sexually assaulted them in a tent. I'm no problem doing that. But then that was it. And then he just wanted to talk to them about sex and gave them their own privacy and private sleeping arrangements and this and that. Like, no. I don't believe that for a second.

But anyway, it's in the following years, he eventually revealed more details about the event, admitting that, like I said, they started slowly coming out. and it wasn't all at once. So they just had to over the years piece together what actually happened. And they don't have 100% clear picture, but he has admitted later that he had to force Janet to tie up her sister's hands after she started protesting. So come to find out, they didn't just listen to him. They were freaking out, especially when he started to instruct them to, to take their clothes off. Yeah, that's so scary.

Yeah, so originally, you know, when he was first arrested and confessed, he's like, yeah, they, like, just did what I, they just believed everything I said and they just did everything that I asked them to. And now it's coming out. Oh, yeah, actually, they were really scared and they were freaking out. And I had to, you know, instruct. Force them. Yeah, force them to tie.

And, yeah. He also claimed that he believed he and the girls were friends and that the only reason in that he ended up having to kill them was because Karen in particular was never on board with what was happening and she made it really known. She was really difficult for him to control. She wouldn't stop crying and she wasn't trusting of him. Yeah. No shit. Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals because we're built for what you're building. Fit for your ambition for Citizens Bank. So with the this slow-dripper details and their extreme difficulty to believe in in the first place,

it was near impossible to take David's word for what he was saying without a huge grain of salt. However, there was one detail that was able to be confirmed, and that is when Constable Ken Leibel headed out to the cabin that he claimed to have taken the girls, and what he found turned his stomach because there was a set of carved initials into the wood paneling of the cabin and they read D.S. and J.J. So was the two girls? It was no, it was David Shearing and.

Oh. Janet Johnson. And Janet. And he had carved that. Oh, not the girls. I didn't know if like maybe the girls had. No, but like, you know, like when you carve like initials in like a tree or heart. Yeah.

It's just so sick. And of course the, um, that prison guard did confirm that he. He knocked on the door, talked to David. I had no idea that anything bad was going on. So we do know that we could place him in the cabin, but they weren't sure of the rest of the story, especially, you know, especially because of all the back and forth that he was giving. But when they saw that in the wood, they were like, okay, there is, the girls were here and it's disgusting. Again, despite all of all of this, David's mother remained pretty. adamant until his final sentencing that her son was innocent. And then once all of this comes out,

later on stated that he must not have acted alone. Like she was just like in complete denial almost. Like someone else had to be the mastermind behind it kind of thing. Like he wouldn't have done this. Yeah. Like it was because of someone else made him do it or something or was the brains behind the operation kind of thing. You've been just denial. And some of the town agreed with her, especially after all these details came out and they're like, this seems like this is a lot for one person. Local rumors swirled for years that he was not the sole perpetrator.

David's brother Greg quit his job as a sheriff for Prince George, British Columbia, after his brother David was arrested and charged. The sharing ranch house burned down three years after the trial and the Bear Creek site where the Johnsons and Bentley's camped for their final night has been sent off. David Shearing has been housed at Bowden Institute, a medium security prison in Alberta, Canada, about halfway between Edmonton and Calgary. Medium security? Yes.

Okay. Who gets the... Who gets high... Yeah, who gets high security if a person who murders an entire family and abuses children doesn't. Yeah. And the only, this, this, this, this, uh, this, uh, institute, this or this prison is the only in the province to offer a high intensity sex offender program, which David has since participated in. David got married in 2008.

Oh, lucky him. To a woman who first found him through a prison pen pal program. Okay, those pen pal. I can't even. Okay. Okay. Can I just say, I don't know what. I don't know if it's like because I've been Google it, obviously researching the story.

That's your algorithm now? My algorithm? I'm getting, but it's not even, it's so weird. It's, I should have saved one because I forget what jail it is. But on my Instagram, I'm getting these, like on my, what is it, your four new page or your, whatever it is. Yeah. Is it the videos that the mates that are being like, hi, I'm talking. And I'm in jail for five years and I'd love to have someone to talk to and it's them like on a phone like talking to a video.

Yes. Yeah, I've seen those too. And it's all the same prison, I think. Yeah. Don't get me wrong. I've been into my toxic men throughout my life. But like, come on. Like that.

Come on, ladies. When you see a red flag, that's a red flag. Yeah. Stay far away. That is the credit of all flags. There are plenty of men who are not incarcerated. who are available. Yeah, and we'll probably treat you better.

Maybe they like the idea that they don't actually have to be around them. It's interesting because this book that I'll share at the end that I read for this episode. The author goes into great detail about the psychology behind this phenomenon of particularly women falling for serial killers. And why the thing. And yeah, so if you're into that, I've read. Yeah. Yeah, I've read a little bit of that it's like he would do that to them, but never me kind of thing. Like you're this special type like, yeah, not even just like a protector, but like you're an exception to this person who is like deeply fucked up, but you like at the bottom of the core like you change him. He doesn't do that to you. because you're special kind of thing.

And it's just like... Interesting. It's an interesting thought process. I don't... Like, I guess I can kind of understand it in a very smaller capacity. You know, when you're dating someone who is horrible to everyone around you, but they're nice to you. You're like, oh, but he's good to me.

Like, because he loves me, you know? Yeah. Or he cheated on his ex-girlfriends, but he's never cheated on me because I'm different. I'm special. Like, I can feel that in a smaller degree. But, I mean, he murders other women, not me. Right. And when you get into the children thing where you married someone who is found guilty

and in prison for, like, harming a child, you are, in my opinion, like, that woman is just as bad. Because you're co-signing. You're co-signing it. And I'm sure that woman has some mental issues as well. But like you can't co-sign a sexual, like you can't a sexual predator and a murderer. And not even that, a pedophile, you know? Yeah. Like it's just when children are involved, it's a different ballgame.

And yeah. Okay. And she goes, I mean, I don't really give more air time to that. situation, but again, the book goes into great detail about her stance on her husband's reformed, like how he's reformed and his sorrow and how he's changed and yada, yada, yada. Sure. If I was married to a bank robber and he's reformed his way as sure, not someone who killed an entire family and held two children hostage while he sexually assaulted them.

Yeah. That's not reform. It's not change. Like, and it's like you don't know him. You don't know him. He's in prison. I don't know. Who might to speak about somebody else's marriage? But it's just a guess you want to spit my water out with that. It's like, I think that this is the exception to that rule. I feel like we can talk about this person's marriage because that girl needs out. Like get her a therapist and get her a therapist. And, I had her out of this marriage. Maybe as of this recording, things had changed. But I'm just saying in 2008, she married the guy. Okay. So it's been a while. But is he still in prison? Yeah.

Yeah. Also, just what is the draw to that? I mean, what is marrying someone in prison? What does that do for you? You don't have a provider. You don't have someone. Or even if you're the provider, you don't have another person. Like, you don't have a partner.

It's just a weird. Well, to your point, maybe they don't want someone around all the time. Maybe they like a pen pal. Could they see occasionally? Well, okay, that's a perfect segue. Okay, I'm going to put this on pause. I'll get back to this by Googling because that's a perfect segue. Because they actually did or do get to see each other.

More than you would think, more than one would think for the type of situation they're in. Well, he's in a medium security. prison. Well, they receive two, three, so two separate three day visits per month where they are, hold on, don't say anything yet because it is where they want free. Okay, so they're free to stay. I'm laughing. It's not funny at all. But they're free to stay in a small housing unit. That's, so it's on prison property still. Not supervised. Yes. But it and it's also. furnished, this little unit is furnished to look and act and serve as like an apartment. So they can watch TV.

They can cook together. They can do whatever they want physically, emotionally, spiritually. Yeah, twice a month. I don't know. I have a lot of feelings towards that because I can understand in one aspect on the On the incarceration side, we're having prisoners who have absolutely nothing to live for can create a very unruly prison space. And if you have prisoners who literally have nothing going in their life, then what's going to stop them from being these absolute menaces in prison? And it's a danger to the other people around you.

And it's a danger to the prison guards. And I can see how having a program like that would be beneficial to not only the inmate, but also the people who are working there and the people surrounding them. However, that being said. So, and this is this book that I keep, I keep like saying, I'm like, the book, the book. So it's called Murder Times Six, the true story of the Wells Gray Park murders. And again, goes into this in greater detail. as far as exactly what you said, just more from a prison reform,

incarceration, like view and through that lens. And if you're preparing this person to go back out into the world, which... And you, you know, there's all this, that, and the other thing. But then, I mean, and that's great. And I think we do need to look at it from that side. However, imagine being a Bentley or a, Johnson family member and you hear that their murderer gets to do that.

Yeah. No. No, no freaking way. Like, that is where it gets really tricky because it's like, okay, well, who gets to decide, you know. Where the line is. Where that is. Well, also a sentence is weird.

Why is he in a medium security prison? Why was his sentence so light? I mean, life in prison 25 years. as a 20-something-year-old is not a life in prison that does give you the opportunity for life. And they essentially are preparing him to be out in the world again, which is not acceptable, in my opinion. So it's just there's a lot of aspects to it. And it's not easy to digest thinking that someone who has done these horrific crimes.

And this is just one that we know of. And also in my opinion, I don't know if you're going to go into this, but that was way too calculated and planned and executed for that to be the first time he's harmed someone. Well, he killed someone before. Yes, but that was a hit and run. It's very, it's horrific what happened, but it's not an intimate setting. You know, he like point and blank went up to four people and shot them and then sexually assaulted two girls over a period of 10 days and kidnap them.

Like that is such an intimate thing that I cannot imagine that he didn't do something before that happened. Yeah. I won't get. I don't have any further information about that because nothing has ever met. I mean, to our knowledge and what he has shared, there has not been something else. So, but I agree that it does seem an extreme first. crime of that nature, I should say. And he did it successfully, too.

I mean, of course, he was caught and everything, but he successfully did that to a group of four adults, you know, like it is not an easy thing. Even though he had a weapon, he still, he killed four adults. Yeah. And adults that were aware of him. Like hell to protect their family. Yeah. Some follow the noise.

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She claims that she knows him better than anyone else and that he is truly remorseful for his action, but she doesn't blame anyone for not forgiving him. And it turns out, surprised, that most people don't share Heather's view of David. I also do not share Heather's view. Yep. In fact, approaching his first parole hearing in October of 2008, more than 10,000 people signed a petition in support of denying. David Shearing for parole, who by then had changed his last name to Ennis, which is his mother's maiden name.

So you'll see if you look further into this case, he's now referred to as David Ennis, but same guy. Interesting, he didn't choose his wife's last name. Yeah. It's almost like, they, I'm going to see. Who am I? Okay. And so feel this is marriage. The hearing gave the Johnson and Bentley family this parole hearing,

the opportunity to read victim impact statements in which nine people shared. Relatives said in part, quote, it's more than a horror movie now. He's a monster in the woods. We fear for our lives. We fear that he will kill again. He destroyed my family. He doesn't deserve a second chance.

And they made it very clear that their family is still suffering due to his murderous rampage. and not only his death would mean the ability for them to be able to start moving forward. Next, the parole board directed several questions to David, at which point he began revealing more details than before. He stated that from the age of 15 and onwards, he had fantasies about younger women, aka children, like children, who did not have the ability to laugh at him for his impotence,

and that on the night of the murders in August of 1982, that was the first time that he acted upon those fantasies. He explained to the parole board that he was fixated on Janet from the moment that he saw her in the woods, continuing, quote, I saw them as just a means to an end. I saw the four adults basically as being in the way of what I wanted at the time.

It was just Janet as far as what I was thinking, and Karen just happened to be there as well. 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 continued to fantasize about what he did to Karen and Janet for the first decade of his imprisonment,

but claims that they diminished completely after that period of time. He went on to explain that he had time to reflect on his crimes and to truly feel sorry for his actions, allegedly recognizing the enormity of the devastation that he had caused to so many. The board was also informed of David's status at the prison, attending his sex offender programming, working at the prison chapel, and taking courses at the Prairie Bible College.

Despite all of this, The Borg denied him parole, saying in part, quote, There are overwhelming negative aspects in your case. The gravity and severity of your offending. It is of the utmost level. It was very violent and it devastated so many people. When we look at your assessed risks, together with your diagnosis of sexual sadism,

which largely remains unchanged, the most appropriate place for you to make gains is in the safety and security of the institution, end quote. It was a huge win. for the victim's families. However, they were shocked to learn that less than a month later after he was denied parole in 2008, he received an escorted day pass out of the prison. And the reasons for these can vary.

There's a bunch of different reasons for why these are granted, such as medical treatment or a funeral. Or a funeral or, yeah, something like that. But what was more alarming was his eligibility for an unescort. temporary absence as well. So an inmate can be given these rewards up to 15 times a year once their minimum sentence has been served. And the kicker of this is that they don't have to be approved by the parole board. They can be issued by the head of the prison and the passes don't require the presence of any guards.

So he can go out, do whatever he wants and then just sleep in his bed in the prison at night? Yeah. If he was granted, this unescorted. day past. So the families are like, what the? Like, what the help? Yeah, he's clearly dangerous. And in that statement from the parole board, it said that he was diagnosed with, what was it, sexual sadism? Yeah, and that he is just too much of them. And he's a predator to urge children. It's not even like he's consensually practicing whatever with adults. Like, he fantasized about children. Okay. Okay. So he can be out. Potentially. So the family. So the family.

was appalled by that. And luckily, he has not been granted such passes, and he was again denied parole in 2012 after a hearing. And then another petition that had at this point now over 13,000 signatures to keep him behind bars. Yeah, people don't want someone like that out. Yeah. In 2010, 2014 and 2016, David Ennis sharing waived his right and. waived his right and opted out of his legislative parole hearing opportunities. However, each of those years gained more and more signatures on the petition presented to the board urging them to keep him locked away.

He was denied again in September of 2021 when he applied for parole. And as of today, the petition on change.org, organized by Tammy Orrishenkov, I believe is how you say it, who is a friend of Janet's, was a friend of Janitz when they were young, holds over 100,000 signatures. Oh, add me to the list because I will also sign that. Yeah, so I'll link it below, but the page, below, below, it's like we're on video now. I, whatever. I'll put it in episode description. But the page is currently on hiatus until 2026 because that is the next time that he is eligible

to apply for parole if he chooses to do so, because in some of the past years he hasn't gone forward with that, but that's his next eligibility. So that page is still active. But you can see the last signatures was from this time in 2020. Oh, so you can't sign it right now. You have to wait until 2020. There just hasn't been any updates or anything. Like Tammy has said, like we'll be back in 2006 if, you know, he applies from parole again. We'll start the fight all over again. So the story is about the horrific, the murders and what David Shearing slash Ennis did to the Bentley and the Johnson family. But it's equally a story about what victims go through after the murders and the pain that they endure because every single time that David is up for parole, the painful memories are just ripped right open as they have to make statements.

Yep. as they have to fight to keep David behind bars when it seems like it should be just a no-brainer. And in a tearful interview given by Shelley Bowden, who is Janet and Karen's aunt, she remarks at how difficult it is for her family to have to go through this parole process every four years, stating how she just wishes that he would just stop applying for parole and just leave her family alone and leave them with the wonderful memories that they have of their family instead of having, to just force them to refocus on their final horrific moments. Yeah.

Four years is so soon. Four years is like, it's an election. You know, it's just like four years comes around so quick. And for the family to have to do that, it's a lifetime full of grieving and stress and just fighting for their family members who should have never lost their lives, which is very frustrating that the judicial system is still making them go through this because it's just kind of like a slap in the face every four years. And you'll see on the petition site, and it's mentioned in a few articles as well, but it doesn't go into super great detail. But the

family is fighting to, of course, they're focused on when his parole times are at the forefront. And that's something they need to focus on. They do that. But they're also a. a lot of their focus at changing the laws when it comes to this so that other families don't have to endure what they have had to as far as this repeated process of fighting for what seems to be just something that should be a given. Yeah, he should have never been eligible for parole and this shouldn't be a fight. Yeah. Despite the pain, she and other family and loved ones continue the fight for George, Edith, Bob, Jackie, Karen, and Janet, as well as for the public, who they fear would be at risk if David Ennis sharing was to be freed because that's another whole concern they have.

Yeah. The reason this doesn't happen to more people is because he's behind bars. Keep it that way. He is currently eligible for parole every, oh, I'm sorry, I think I said every four years, since every five years. So his next opportunity will be in 2026, as I mentioned. The memories of the Bentley and the Johnson families are still kept alive by their family, friends, and the Clearwater community. They are all remembered and celebrated on their birthdays and for who they were as people. Kind, generous, bubbly, shy, grandparents who deserve to enjoy their golden years, parents who deserve to raise their family, and for children who deserved to live their full lives. If you would like to support the families, you can keep up with the developments,

on the justice for the Johnson-Bentley families keep their killer behind bars Facebook page or the Keep David Ness, aka David Shearing, convicted mass murderer behind bars, deny parole, change.org petition, both of which, like I mentioned, I will link in the episode description. And that is the story of the Bentley Johnson murders

and the shitbag, David Ennis-Shering. Well, thank you. for sharing and telling us the rest of that story because from part one, there was clearly so much more to that than what we first heard. So understanding everything that has happened since then, it really brings together the whole story. It's obviously a really horrific one and probably one of the sadder ones that we've covered on the podcast. But hopefully some better news comes forward with these petitions that are going on and people fighting for. And hopefully there is change and that we can make it so other families don't go through this. Yeah, you don't have to deal with it.

And like I mentioned, the book that I read for this episode is titled Murder Times Six, The True Story of the Wells Gray Park Murders, and that's by Alan Warren. And there is another book. I did not read it, but it's written by Sergeant Michael Easton. So that mean one of the lead investigators. Interesting. And it's titled The Seventh Shadow, the Wilderness Manhunt for a Mass Murderer. So if you're interested in more of a investigative point of view of this crime, then that's probably the book for you.

And yeah, that's all, I thought. Well, next week we will have a bit of a lighter-hearted story. But in the meantime, enjoy the view. But watch your book. Bye everyone. Bye. Thank you so much for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale or story suggestion, send us an email at Stories at npaddpodcast.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at National Park After Dark and on Twitter at NPAD podcast.

Join our Outsiders only community on Patreon or Apple subscriptions to listen ad-free, unlock monthly bonus episodes and exclusive content. And remember, when you support our sponsors, you are supporting our show. For our exclusive discount codes and source information from today's episode, check out the show notes. For more information on our show, our book recommendations, merch updates, and more, visit our website at npaddpodcast.com. And please rate, review, and subscribe from wherever you listen to podcasts. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you may not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with progressives save over $900 on average.

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