He went home and returned either that night or the next with a loaded .22 rifle. They never returned home. David Shearing finally told Sgt. He said he cleaned the campsite, then took the truck/camper back to his nearby property, only to burn it later when he discovered how difficult it was to re-register. But they never found him. The case took another turn on Sept. 7, 2021, when PEOPLE reported that members of Alex's law firm had confronted him about missing money on Sept. 3 . The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. Then, RCMP Constable Ken Leibel hiked through the bush to the fishing cabin. He said that the crime scene took him aback. Skull fragments sullied the bedroom floor and walls and blood spatter stained both the bathroom and the bedroom. This was the maximum possible penalty for second degree murder and the first time in Canadian history that it had been handed out. Court TV: Case coverage. He drove the car to a secluded spot and burnt it. The Johnson Family Murders Pt. While they stayed in the tent, he said, he loaded the bodies of their parents and grandparents into the back seat of the family car and covered the bodies with a blanket. She was subsequently sentenced to two concurrent life terms plus 15 years for a firearm enhancement. However, he did not elaborate any further. Murder in Chisago County : The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery - Signed | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! There was a trail of blood and footprints on the carpet leading from the bathroom to the bedroom. In the meantime, online and paper petitions got 15,258 signatures urging the parole board not to release him. The family of the father, husband and son killed in 1998 is fighting to keep his memory alive. If the fire started in the kitchen stove, experts say some of the victims would have been awakened by the smell of smoke. Heather Ennis claims her husband deserves a second chance, I have seen so much change in this man since we met (in 1993). Six months after the fire, a grand jury indicted Albin in the deaths. Coincidentally, David Shearing was one of the first individuals to have been interviewed by RCMP after the investigation started when the two families were discovered in the car. The notorious "Bloody Benders" were a German immigrant family who owned both a general store and small inn in the early 1870s in Labette County . The RCMP also learned through Shearings closest friend, Ross Coburn, that he was with him when he ran over drunk lying on a Wells Gray Park road in 1980, killing him. Mike Eastham whose book about the investigation was published in 1999. BOISE, Idaho (Court TV) -- With the slip of a tongue, a teenage girl admitted to brutally gunning down her parents in their bedroom, according to an inmate who shared a . Then he crawled into the tent with the girls. 3. Johnson's name was first floated as a potential mayoral candidate during the 2019 strike, though he would call the rumors "laughable" in a Politico article chronicling the strike's aftermath. His father, since deceased, had once been a prison guard and his brother was a sheriff. Sounds like Sarahs somehow achieved internet access. The cognitive mind is still developing even at 18!! Alvira Lundeen Johnson and her seven children died on April 10, 1933, according to a simple, flat gravestone at Rush City's First Lutheran Cemetery 55 miles north of St. Paul. The charred remains were that of the Bentley and Johnson families. A prison guard was supervising prisoners from a local jail who were fishing on the river. Despite his reputation and criminal record, Shearing came from a respectable family. They went door to door in the small community and questioned everyone in town a second time. This is how I know that Sarah Marie Johnson is not guilty of the murders of her Parents,Alan Scott Johnson & Diane Marie Johnson. Such was the situation in Minnesota in April 1933, when a woman and her seven children were found dead on a Chisago County farm, burned to death and nearly cremated in an overnight fire. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, Read more True Crime Stories from StrangeOutdoors, Gary Michael Hilton - The disturbing case of the National Forest Serial Killer, Highway of Tears in British Columbia, Canada, Amy Wroe Bechtel - disturbing disappearances in U.S. forests, The real "Wolf Creek" - the disturbing case of the backpacker murders in the Australian Outback, The Cowden Family - Strange and disturbing murders in the U.S. wilderness, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Gray_Provincial_Park, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Gray_Provincial_Park_Family_Murders, http://dyingwords.net/david-shearing-the-monster-from-wells-gray-park/#sthash.hUyyi6wR.PxXToWpg.dpbs, http://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/shearing-david.htm, https://www.lelandhale.com/wordpress/startling-development-british-columbia/, https://christopherdiarmani.com/14874/crime/canadian-mass-murders/david-william-shearing-slaughtered-family-of-six-in-wells-gray-provincial-park/, The Seventh Shadow: The Wilderness Manhunt for a Brutal Mass Murderer by Michael Eastham and Ian McLeod (1999, Paperback), The Wells Gray Gunman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unFwrrYLZH8, The Detectives The Wells Gray Gunman S1 E1 (Canada only)https://watch.cbc.ca/the-detectives/season-1/episode-1/38e815a-00d94f07a15, Tagged: The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders in Canada, wells gray provincial park murders, johnson and bennett murders canada, The canadian camping ground murders, johnson family murders wells gray park, bob johnson and jackie johnson murders wells gray, janet johnson and karen johnson murdered wells gray, david william shearing serial killer wells gray park, wells gray park camping murders canada, family murders wells gray park canada, George Bentley and Edith Bentley murders wells gray park, Sign up now for a one-time fee for access to over 55 exclusive member articles, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders in Canada, bob johnson and jackie johnson murders wells gray, janet johnson and karen johnson murdered wells gray, david william shearing serial killer wells gray park, George Bentley and Edith Bentley murders wells gray park, The horrific rape and murder of Sophie Louise Hook whilst camping in her Uncle's garden, The miracle rescue of Alan Lee Phillips at Colorados Guanella Pass - the man who turned out to be a serial killer, The chilling story of Thomas Lee Dillon - the Ohio Outdoorsmen killer, The miraculous escape of the Brazilian and German backpackers at Salt Creek in South Australia, Robert Hansen Butcher Baker - the Alaska Serial killer who hunted his victims in the wilderness, The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders, The disturbing death of Fiona Torbet in the Scottish highlands, The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park, The real Wolf Creek - The Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback, The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, The disturbing disappearance of the Beaumont children on Glenelg Beach, The Kamloops Triangle - The British Columbia murders and disappearances, The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German, The Peter Falconio disappearance in the Australian Outback, The unsolved murder of Scott Lilly on the Appalachian trail, The disturbing case of James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer. In August 1982, a family of six set out on what was supposed to be an idyllic two-week camping trip. Jeffrey Dahmer Wikipedia Dahmer dismembered and murdered at least 17 boys and men. On September 2, 2003, Alan Scott Johnson and Diane Johnson were shot to death in their Bellevue, Idaho, home. I know the mans heart is in the right place and Im just here to back him up.. They left the cabin after they were nearly discovered. Johnsons burnt out car discovered September 13, 1982. Daniel Rees, 57, was arrested last week and charged with the murder of Rachael Johnson, a 23-year-old woman who was found burned in Akron, Ohio on March 30, 1991. Hence he was not ready for freedom. In the back seat were the incinerated remains of the four adults and, in the trunk, were the two girls. March 16, 2019 - 6:59 PM. The tyrants know this is scientific fact and use it to prey on the young!!! Supreme Court Justice Harry McKay said, What we have, very simply, is a cold-blooded and senseless execution of six defenseless and innocent victims for no apparent reason. At the time of the interview, the murder weapon, Shearings .22 caliber rifle, hung on the wall of the family home. On August 16, 1982, Bob Johnson failed to return to work at Gorman Brothers Lumber in Westbank. The RCMP posted a $7,500 reward, printed 10,000 posters and sent them to police detachments and post offices across North America. A sad and depressing story of outdoor adventure gone wrong, bad luck, and a mission by two Royal Canadian Mounted Police detectives to find the perpetrator of these awful crimes. Edward Wayne Edwards Wikipedia Edwards killed at least 5 and is suspected of many other murders. This case is at the upper range of culpability. Hence he was not ready for freedom. As part of the guilty plea, Shearing stated in a written statement: I walked out of the bush from behind the camper and started shooting. Alexander Jackson, 20, is charged with three counts of murder in the triple homicide at the home in Cedar Rapids, KCRG reported, citing police. The abandoned logging road on Trophy Mountain was not easy to access. He repeated the process with Janet, the older daughter, on August 17, 1982. But not before a. WASHINGTON The Trump administration executed Corey Johnson on Thursday for a series of seven murders in 1992. The sentence I impose, in conjunction with such matters as protection of the public and specific deterrence, must have proper regard for public opinion and must express, in clear terms, the revulsion felt by the great majority of our citizens for this senseless and vicious mass killing. The Bender Family. An investigation revealed deep secrets and a grudge Sarah had been holding over her parents. I knelt down, and I shot the other two.. Hes always been such a good boy. Police lifted the wreck out with a helicopter and transported it to the RCMP Crime Lab in Vancouver. "I wanted to contribute to the historical record and keep the memory of the family alive," he said in an interview. of both murders. David Shearing finally told Sgt. I have a hard time believing all this and I cant say anything right now because it wouldnt be fair to Dave.. In his new book, he blends journalistic balance with his personal connections to the case. This sparked what would be the most expensive and highly-publicized manhunt in Canadian history. Eastham told Shearing, You know why Im here, David. David Shearings mother, Rose Shearing, expressed shock at the news of her sons arrest and conviction for murdering six people.I hope its a bad mistake or a bad dream. Thats a very dangerous girl. A prison guard was supervising prisoners from a local jail who were fishing on the river. Sign up for the Crime Capsule newsletter today. The abandoned logging road on Trophy Mountain was not easy to access. On April 17, 1984, Justice McKay sentenced David William Shearing to six concurrent terms of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. For example, two scruffy French-Canadian men were seen driving in a camper van east towards Quebec but it turned out this was an unrelated vehicle. Curt Brown Readers can send him ideas and suggestions at mnhistory@startribune.com. We do not really know, but it seems it was to rob and kill. To double-check the story, Eastham found the prison guard. Bentley truck Bear Creek, Trophy Mountain. KELOWNA, B.C. "More than eight decades after the mysterious blaze, the Harris fire of 1933 remains a riddle," he writes. There are no ameliorating or mitigating factors. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. I do think you should cease the slandering comments of an innocent man though. According to Sarah, she was asleep in her bedroom when she heard gunshots echo out. He drove the car to a secluded spot and burnt it. The next night, her parents found her at Brunos home. Following Shearings conviction, RCMP Sergeant Mike Eastham re-interviewed him and got the disturbing truth behind the killings - pedophilia. What's the story behind Minneapolis' smaller houses with huge front yards? We also have evidence part of his previous record has been purged, said defense lawyer, Robert Pangburn. Alan was an executive and director of Webb Landscape and Garden Centres and Diane was employed at the Hailey Medical Clinic. The day prior to the shootings Dianes sister testified that just the day before the murders, Sarah had asked for the keys to the gun safe.. After letting Sarah inside her home to calm down, Richards approached the Johnson home and slowly opened the front door. But a peculiar absence made some suspect that this fire was not an accident after all. Shearing moved the girls to his family farm the next day, and then, on August 16, 1982, he walked Karen, the younger daughter, into the woods and killed her. Why? Suspicion doubled when forensics couldnt identify Albin among any of the deceased, with one theory holding that the farmerill-tempered, a known drinker, down on his luck and soon to be evicted from the property by his own grandfatherhad sooner killed his own family rather than drag them into a life of even more hardship in days to come. The family's patriarch, Albin Johnson, was strangely missing, and the police desperately searched for him as their . The accident was never reported to the police. In April 1983, a television re-enactment of the killings was filmed on the site of the murders, which was then broadcast across Canada. On August 2, 1982, Bob Johnson, 44, and Jackie Johnson, 41, and their daughters Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, went on a two-week camping trip with Jackie's parents,George Bentley, 66, and Edith Bentley, 59. It plays into the hands of the propaganda tyrants!! It would have been quite a coincidence that the house just happened to go up in flames at precisely that moment of desperation.". Sarah pleaded not guilty to the murders and she was held on $2 million bond. The Pinkerton National Detective Agencynone other than the folks who had uncovered the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln in 1861 (one conspirator from which already appearing on Crime Capsule)sent its agents to join the hunt. They were Bob and Jackie Johnson, their two daughters (Janet, 13 and Karen, 11), and Jackie's parents, George and Edith Bentley. Johnsons burnt out car discovered September 13, 1982. While they stayed in the tent, he said, he loaded the bodies of their parents and grandparents into the back seat of the family car and covered the bodies with a blanket. Many hours were wasted on these "wild goose" chases as the public phoned in thousands of sightings which all needed to be investigated. That was just money lost, paying them for nothing, said Jeanette Johnson, Alviras niece.. Hes always been such a good boy. 1. The media referred to the tragedy as the Wells Gray Park murders, but the actual site of the familys massacre was just outside the park entrance. The enormity of the crimes demand the maximum sentence.. Her defense, however, was alleging that it was Bruno who had killed Alan and Diane. Many hours were wasted on these "wild goose" chases as the public phoned in thousands of sightings which all needed to be investigated. On January 19, 1984, David Shearing waived his right to a preliminary hearing. In September 2008, David Shearing was up for parole - 24 years after his conviction for the murders. The prosecution refuted the claims that Bruno was involved, stating that there was absolutely no evidence to connect him to the crime scene or even the home. Replica of the Bentley 1981 Ford camper used to publicise the missing vehicle. On the 2nd of September, 2003, in Bellevue, Idaho, 16-year-old Sarah Marie Johnson ran out of her home screaming that somebody had murdered her parents. Here at Crime Capsule, we spend a lot of time looking at the criminals involved in heinous deeds (rather, misdeeds). Other theories point to Albin poisoning the family. The wreckage was similar to the car that the Johnsons were driving. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Wells Gray area was a valued hunting ground to the Secwepemc (Shuswap),Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin)and Canim Lake aboriginal groups. Killed for Being in the Way The Karissa Boudreau Murder, Ruth Ellis The Final Woman to Hang in Britain. Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. When they opened the door, they discovered Johnson,. Were proud to honor those men and women. In 1995 he married a woman from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He lusted over the young girls and was determined to sexually abuse them even if it meant killing the parents and grandparents. Pictures: Fla. mom killed her 4. The logging road was near Battle Mountain Road, thirteen aerial miles from Bear Creek and north of the town of Clearwater. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Wells Gray area was a valued hunting ground to the Secwepemc (Shuswap),Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin)and Canim Lake aboriginal groups. The media referred to the tragedy as the Wells Gray Park murders, but the actual site of the familys massacre was just outside the park entrance. Shearing told Eastham he kept the girls alive for nearly a week, staying with them both at his ranch and at a small fishing cabin on the Clearwater River whilst repeatedly raping them. On November 19, 1983, The RCMP found Shearing in Tumbler Ridge, north of Kamloops, where he was due to appear in court in a few days on a possession of stolen property charge of a significant amount of tools. Stolen Kia being chased by patrol in Mpls. You told me some time ago that you would consider telling me the rest of the story after you were sentenced. Concerned, the hairdresser called Johnson's daughter-in-law, and the two went to her two-story Clifton home on Cedar Street to check on her. Shearing then applied again in 2014, then withdrew the request a month before the hearing. This, in turn, led Johnson to murder . He even denounced ISIS - the militant Islamic group that his lawyers say influenced his thinking before the murder - at his sentencing. David William Shearing, 24, who lived locally was identified by someone who told police that, over a year earlier, Shearing had enquired about how to re-register a Ford pickup and repair a hole in its door. Some leads generated from all the publicity through investigators seriously off the scent. He first toyed with writing a novel, but "I could never make up anything as compelling as the true story of the Albin Johnson case. Because of the location of the vehicle in an accessible area, it was quickly assumed that a local was responsible for the murders. Some beer caps of the brand known to be drunk by Bob Johnson were also found as well as full bottles cooling in a nearby stream. On April 17, 1984, Justice McKay sentenced David William Shearing to six concurrent terms of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. I feel she has no remorse and feel she would do it again, except she would do better planning and she would try to get away with it.7. He told the girls to turn around so he could urinate, then shot each sister in the back of the head. Shearing now goes by his mother's maiden name, Ennis. However, many were perplexed that the sentences were concurrent, giving him the chance to escape the prison system in later life. He first shot his 49-year-old girlfriend Rebecca K. Dieter, who was the only . But Shearing hid the girls behind the door and told them to stay quiet. The Johnson Family Murders Pt. They did not, in any way, provoke him. Shearing told Eastham he kept the girls alive for nearly a week, staying with them both at his ranch and at a small fishing cabin on the Clearwater River whilst repeatedly raping them. I think you sexually abused those girls before you killed them. The RCMP also learned through Shearings closest friend, Ross Coburn, that he was with him when he ran over drunk lying on a Wells Gray Park road in 1980, killing him. The group traveled to the remote Wells Gray Provincial Park,a wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia,Canada, around 300 miles (478 km) to the northeast of Vancouver. Police lifted the wreck out with a helicopter and transported it to the RCMP Crime Lab in Vancouver. Eventually, they got him to confess to the crimes by getting him to relax and defer appointing a lawyer. He has committed crimes recently and we have evidence he has the proclivity to do more, Pangburn said. I guess there is honor among thieves. The remains of Alvira Johnson and her seven kids Harold, 10; Clifford, 9; Kenneth, 7; Dorothy, 5; Bernice, 4; Lester, 2, and James, 4 months were buried in a single casket. Sarah Was Not Even In The Guest House That Day. The bodies were so consumed that they were eventually interred together in one child-sized casket. Apparently the agency was concerned that multiple reports of his movements might influence the Canadian authorities interest in the case, or the lengths to which they would go to track the suspect downeven if he had fled across the border. Greg Shearing, Davids brother, said I have a lot of questions Id like to ask the police, too. During the sentencing phase, Dianes sister, Debbie Davis, addressed Sarah: I hope your father looking into your eyes when he was shot will be burned in your mind forever, while Alans sister, Lynne Murrill, said: She is a spoiled rotten brat that thinks only of herself. Two sticks with sharp ends, probably used by the two girls to roast marshmallows were also at the site. Shearing accidentally admitted to Eastham that he had heard the murders were committed at Bear Creek which was not information that had been released to the public. Marvin was tried and convicted of double-homicide in 2013, Jenelle and Barbara in 2015 in a joint trial. The day Shearings trial was set to begin, he changed his mind and pled guilty to six counts of second-degree murder for the 1982 Johnson and Bentley families. Brian Johnson puts the case in the context of the Depression and gangster era, pointing out that Albin could hide in plain sight as countless hobos and wanderers crisscrossed the country on highways and trains looking for work. I know the mans heart is in the right place and Im just here to back him up.. In May 1983 they drove the camper from British Columbia to Quebec, again in the hopes someone would see it and remember something relating to the case. In advance of the campers arrival at each town or city, police held press conferences to publicize the campers arrival. Dear Jack Johnson. Credits: Research: Haley Gray The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. He knew they were camped at the site and carefully scouted the situation. At dusk on August 10, 1982, walked into the campsite with his rifle and shot Bob Johnson, then Jackie, and then George and Edith in cold blood. However, many were perplexed that the sentences were concurrent, giving him the chance to escape the prison system in later life. When police were questioned why they didnt seize the firearm and test it to see if casings fired from it matched those found at the scene, Inspector Vic Edwards cited basic rights. The parents deserved better. Hey,I Already Said About How I Know That An Innocent Woman Is Mistakenly Incarcerated,Check Out The Details,Once Again & You Will See How. Shearing said he saw the family when they set up camp and spent several days spying on them, with a fantasy to have sex with Janet and Karen. The location re-confirmed a local was most likely involved as outsiders would have been unlikely to find the isolated spot. Replica of the Bentley 1981 Ford camper used to publicise the missing vehicle. Alviras mother, Christine Lundeen, hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency to help locate Albin. To double-check the story, Eastham found the prison guard. Furthermore, when Sarah had been brought in for questioning, it was noticed that she had a bruised shoulder which was indicative of recoil from the rifle.4. Unsophisticated law enforcement, meanwhile, had its hands full with Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow and other gangsters in 1933. The fire that killed Alvira Johnson: Depression-era murder, or tragic accident? On September 13, the Johnson family car was found burned in a clearing off a mountainside logging road, thirteen aerial miles from Bear Creek. Their time near the beautiful Wells Gray Park was cut short by a sadistic, brutal killer obsessed with young girls. Walter E. Ellis Wikipedia Ellis, known as the Milwaukee North Side Strangler, raped and strangled at least 7 women. There was a Winchester rifle on the bedroom floor which was typically kept in an adjoining guest house. Investigators pieced together the string of events leading up to the murders of Alan and Diane. Seven Questions for Keith Roysdon, author of The Westside Park Murders, Convicting Serial Killer Roy Melanson: The Shoddy SODDI Defense, Giovanni Chiesa: Immigrant, Miner, Martyr. You can still see the Agencys wanted poster on the wall! Supreme Court Justice Harry McKay said, What we have, very simply, is a cold-blooded and senseless execution of six defenseless and innocent victims for no apparent reason. Eastham what really happened. Constable Leibel said in an interview 25 years after the murders, Thats how close everyone was to them. Bobbi Gale Johnson, age 18, a cheerful soul, was a good student, considered "bright, intelligent and articulate." She was active in school theater and was liked by many. By The location was beside Fage Creek, 18 km (11.2 mi) north of Clearwater and 18 km (11.2 mi) south of the Wells Gray Park entrance on Clearwater Valley Road. Allegedly, Alan and Diane had threatened to have Bruno arrested if Sarah didnt cut ties with him.