He Killed Six People. Now He Gets a Paper Review — and the Family Can’t Speak.

In August 1982, David Shearing — who now goes by David Ennis — stalked the Johnson-Bentley family at a campsite near Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia. He shot and killed grandparents George and Edith Bentley, their daughter Jackie Johnson, and her husband Bob Johnson. Then he kept the Johnsons’ daughters — Janet, 13, and Karen, 11 — alive for nearly a week. He tortured and sexually assaulted them. He took them into the woods, one at a time, and killed them. He loaded all six bodies into the family car and set it on fire.¹

The sentencing judge called it “a cold-blooded and senseless execution of six defenceless and innocent people — a slaughter that devastated three generations in a single bound.” Ennis pleaded guilty to six counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years.

That 25-year period ended in 2007. Since then, Ennis has applied for parole in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021. He has been denied every time. The parole board noted in 2021 that he still harbours deviant sexual fantasies, including rape and murder, and that his diagnosis of sexual sadism “largely remains unchanged.” At that hearing, nine family members delivered victim impact statements. Ennis admitted he had killed a teenager before the 1982 murders, and that getting away with it “made it easier to escalate.”²

Now Ennis has found a way to silence the families entirely. He has waived his right to an in-person hearing for his next parole application, scheduled for August 2026. That means his case will be decided through a paper review — and the family will have no opportunity to appear, to speak, or to look the board members in the eye when they describe what this man did to their relatives.³

“The system is not working for any of us,” said Shelley Boden, Bob and Jackie Johnson’s niece and cousin to Janet and Karen. “I’m afraid he will get out, and that’s what they said — that there is a chance. And I’m going, ‘I don’t like that,’ and my whole body starts to shake.”

Jessica Lehman, the victims’ cousin, was more direct. “They’re not even giving us a chance to stand up for our rights and our family that can no longer talk,” she said.

The family says they have been told Ennis could be moved to a minimum-security facility and possibly receive day parole.

Shaylis Johnson / Unsplash — Wells Gray Provincial Park near Clearwater, B.C., where three generations of the Johnson-Bentley family were camping when David Ennis murdered them in August 1982.

The Conservatives tried to fix this. In September 2025, Conservative MP Kerry Diotte introduced Bill C-243 — known as “Brian’s Bill” — which would have changed the parole review rules for convicted murderers. Under current law, after their first hearing, convicted killers can apply for parole annually. Bill C-243 would have extended that interval to every five years after the first denial, reducing the relentless cycle of hearings that forces families to relive their worst moments year after year.⁴

The bill received broad support from law enforcement. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police endorsed it. The Canadian Police Association called it “a measured, compassionate step that recognizes justice must account for the ongoing impact of violent crime on those left behind.” The Calgary Police Association and the Ottawa Police Association also backed it. More than 100,000 Canadians signed a petition in support.⁵

The Liberals voted it down. On March 25, 2026 — two days before the Johnson-Bentley families went public about being shut out of Ennis’s parole process — Bill C-243 failed at second reading in the House of Commons.⁶

Under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, victims are supposed to be able to participate “more meaningfully” in the parole system. They can submit written victim impact statements. They can attend hearings. If they cannot attend, they can listen to an audio recording. But none of that applies when the offender waives his right to an in-person hearing and opts for a paper review.⁷

The result is a system in which the offender controls the process. A man convicted of murdering six people — including the prolonged sexual torture of two children — gets to decide whether the families of his victims are heard. He chose silence. The system permitted it.

This is not an isolated case. The Parole Board of Canada allows offenders to opt for paper reviews, and when they do, families lose their only direct avenue to oppose release. The Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime reported in 2026 that many survivors are still not informed of major developments including parole hearings and release dates. A survey of 1,000 survivors of sexual violence found that 88.8% wanted to receive as much information as possible from Corrections and the Parole Board — but the system routinely fails to deliver it.⁸

David Ennis murdered three generations of a family. He sexually assaulted two children for nearly a week, then killed them and burned their bodies. He has been denied parole four times. The parole board said his diagnosis of sexual sadism “largely remains unchanged.” His next hearing is in August. The families of his victims will not be in the room — because Ennis chose a paper review, and the law allows it. The Conservatives introduced a bill to limit how often he can apply. The Liberals voted it down. The system does not protect the Johnson-Bentley families. It protects David Ennis.