Case file
Wells Gray Provincial Park murders
Documents violence · crimes against children · sexual violence — written to inform, not to shock.
In August 1982, six members of one family, spanning three generations, were killed during a camping trip in the Clearwater Valley near Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The victims were George Bentley, 66, and his wife Edith Bentley, 59, of Port Coquitlam; their daughter Jackie Johnson, 41; her husband Bob Johnson, 44; and the Johnsons' two daughters, Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, from the Kelowna area of the province's interior.
The family set out on August 2, 1982. The four adults were shot at their campsite. The two girls were held captive for nearly a week before they were killed. All six bodies were placed in the family's car, which was then set on fire.
The family was reported missing after Bob Johnson did not return to his job at a lumber company. On September 13, 1982, a mushroom picker reported a burned-out vehicle near Battle Mountain Road, and searchers found the remains of the four adults inside, with the two girls' remains in the trunk. All had been shot with a .22-caliber weapon. The absence of shell casings indicated the family had been killed elsewhere, and the Bentleys' Ford camper truck was missing.
The case became one of the largest and most expensive investigations in Canadian history. Police re-enacted the presumed sequence of events for television and drove a replica of the missing truck across the country to prompt witnesses, gathering thousands of tips. A decisive lead came when a resident recalled that a local man, David William Shearing, had asked about re-registering a Ford pickup and repairing a hole in its door, a detail matching an undisclosed bullet hole in the Bentleys' truck.
Shearing, then 24, was arrested in Dawson Creek on November 19, 1983, and charged with six counts of second-degree murder. Investigators later established that he had sexually assaulted the two girls during their captivity. On April 16, 1984, he pleaded guilty to all six counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.
Now known as David Ennis, he has sought parole several times. Applications were rejected in 2008 and 2012, a 2014 application was withdrawn shortly before its hearing, and a further request was denied in 2021. He has remained incarcerated at Bowden Institution in Alberta, and relatives of the victims have continued to oppose his release ahead of a further parole hearing anticipated in 2026.
Key facts
- Victims
- Jackie Johnson, Karen Johnson, Edith Bentley, George Bentley, Janet Johnson, Bob Johnson
- Date
- 1982
- Location
- Clearwater Valley near Wells Gray Provincial Park
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
1982-08-02
The Johnson and Bentley family departs on a camping trip in the Clearwater Valley near Wells Gray Provincial Park.
1982-08-06
The family makes its last known contact with relatives.
1982-08-10
The four adults are shot at the campsite; the two daughters are taken captive.
1982-08-17
The two daughters, aged 11 and 13, are killed after about a week in captivity.
1982-08-23
The family is reported missing to the RCMP after Bob Johnson does not return to work.
1982-09-13
A mushroom picker reports a burned vehicle near Battle Mountain Road; the remains of all six family members are recovered.
1983-11-19
David Shearing is arrested in Dawson Creek and charged with six counts of second-degree murder.
1984-04-16
Shearing pleads guilty to six counts of second-degree murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
2008
A parole application is denied.
2012
A further parole application is denied.
2021
A subsequent parole application is denied.
2026
A further parole hearing is anticipated.
Best coverage
No approved coverage links are attached yet.
People
Jackie Johnson
VICTIMMother of Janet and Karen and daughter of George and Edith Bentley; shot and killed at the campsite at age 41.
citation on file
Karen Johnson
VICTIMYounger daughter of Bob and Jackie Johnson; taken captive and killed at age 11.
citation on file
Edith Bentley
VICTIMGrandmother and mother of Jackie Johnson; shot and killed at the campsite at age 59.
citation on file
George Bentley
VICTIMGrandfather and father of Jackie Johnson; shot and killed at the campsite at age 66.
citation on file
Janet Johnson
VICTIMElder daughter of Bob and Jackie Johnson; taken captive and killed at age 13.
citation on file
David William Shearing
CONVICTEDLocal resident who pleaded guilty in 1984 to six counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for 25 years; later legally changed his name to David Ennis.
citation on file
Bob Johnson
VICTIMFather of Janet and Karen and husband of Jackie Johnson; shot and killed at the campsite at age 44.
citation on file
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- Six members of the Johnson and Bentley family, two grandparents, a married couple, and their two young daughters aged 13 and 11, were killed while camping near Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia in August 1982. Local resident David Shearing later pleaded guilty to all six murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
- Where did the murders happen?
- Clearwater Valley near Wells Gray Provincial Park.
- Who was convicted?
- David William Shearing (Local resident who pleaded guilty in 1984 to six counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for 25 years; later legally changed his name to David Ennis.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
Sources
- Wells Gray Provincial Park murderswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-05
- 'He hunted them': Family launches petition to keep B.C. mass murderer behind barsnews · Global News · 2026-07-05
Last verified JUL 2026
