He came to the door of the cabin to tell Shearing not to be alarmed. Authorities said . However, like all states, we have seen our fair share of bad folks, including these 10 infamous Kansas serial killers and homicides that won't soon be forgotten. "More than eight decades after the mysterious blaze, the Harris fire of 1933 remains a riddle," he writes. "I know I contributed to the spread of evil in this world," Johnson, now 21, told the court. The Bentleys subsequently arrived with their truck and camper van, with a boat on top. On September 13, the Johnson family car was found burned in a clearing off a mountainside logging road, thirteen aerial miles from Bear Creek. Johnson's brother, Anthony, 22, and a family friend, Michael Gunn, 27, are serving life sentences after having been found guilty of first-degree murder in separate trials for their involvement in . Shearing then applied again in 2014, then withdrew the request a month before the hearing. Sometimes, however, a case needs a little more manpower than the public sector can provide. Then on the 2nd of September, Sarah opened a rental unit which was adjacent to the home. The RCMP posted a $7,500 reward, printed 10,000 posters and sent them to police detachments and post offices across North America. 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. Hence he was not ready for freedom. We do not really know, but it seems it was to rob and kill. 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. Fellow workers reported that Bob was missing to the RCMP on August 23, 1982. The cover of Flagstaff's Walkup Family Murders: A. Some leads generated from all the publicity through investigators seriously off the scent. There was a Winchester rifle on the bedroom floor which was typically kept in an adjoining guest house. Murder in Chisago County: The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery, cracked a case based on a single bottle of beer, finally rounded up public enemy number one, one conspirator from which already appearing on Crime Capsule, Interview with Brian Johnson Tom Barnard Show, Speakeasies and Secret Lairs: Milwaukee Prohibition, Murder on the Menu: Missouris Worst Female Killers, Cold Case Cracked: Lieutenant Rita Shulers 40-Year Quest for Justice. Presumably, Sarah had hoped that the garbage truck would have picked the garbage up. The family of the father, husband and son killed in 1998 is fighting to keep his memory alive. Fourteen years older than his wife, 43-year-old Albin was a big man 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and a big drinker during Prohibition's bootlegging era. The family lived in Glen Aspen Drive, an affluent street where the $500,000 homes sit nestled among towering cottonwood, pine and aspen trees.1. And yes I say innocent because the judicial system has declared who the killer is. Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook. You can still see the Agencys wanted poster on the wall! The charred remains were that of the Bentley and Johnson families. Imagine going to the extremes to be with a man only to try and blame him afterwards. Police lifted the wreck out with a helicopter and transported it to the RCMP Crime Lab in Vancouver. 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. I know the mans heart is in the right place and Im just here to back him up.. The. Shearing now goes by his mother's maiden name, Ennis. 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. The Bender Family. Five weeks after the families were last heard from, on September 13, 1982, a mushroom picker reported finding a burned-out car with the driver's side door open in a clearing off a mountainside logging road. However, by the following day, investigators announced that they had ruled both deaths as homicide. He lusted over the young girls and was determined to sexually abuse them even if it meant killing the parents and grandparents. On August 16, 1982, Bob Johnson failed to return to work at Gorman Brothers Lumber in Westbank. The Bentleys subsequently arrived with their truck and camper van, with a boat on top. On January 19, 1984, David Shearing waived his right to a preliminary hearing. It covers 5,250 square kilometers (1.3 million acres) and is British Columbia's fourth-largest park, after Tatshenshini,Spatsizi and Tweedsmuir. Replica of the Bentley 1981 Ford camper used to publicise the missing vehicle. The spot was only 15 miles from the murder site and 20 miles from where the Johnsons' car was located and on the different side of the mountain. Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. His father, since deceased, had once been a prison guard and his brother was a sheriff. Alex Murdaugh called 911 on the evening of June 7, 2021, and said he found his son and wife dead when he returned home from a one-hour visit with his mother, who has dementia. Jeffrey Dahmer Wikipedia Dahmer dismembered and murdered at least 17 boys and men. But not before a. I could just slap this stupid child. On the 30th of October, Sarah was arrested and charged as an adult in the double homicide of her parents. 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. Home True Crime The Johnson Family Murders. Five weeks after the families were last heard from, on September 13, 1982, a mushroom picker reported finding a burned-out car with the driver's side door open in a clearing off a mountainside logging road. I have a hard time believing all this and I cant say anything right now because it wouldnt be fair to Dave.. An investigation revealed deep secrets and a grudge Sarah had been holding over her parents. Credits: Research: Haley Gray Initially, it was believed that this may have been a murder-suicide. In advance of the campers arrival at each town or city, police held press conferences to publicize the campers arrival. 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. Then, RCMP Constable Ken Leibel hiked through the bush to the fishing cabin. Eastham later wrote a book with Ian McLeod about the case called The Seventh Shadow, in which the author goes into great detail about all aspects of the case. The logging road was near Battle Mountain Road, thirteen aerial miles from Bear Creek and north of the town of Clearwater. 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. I dont have any right to go into your house and examine your guns. Shearing initially stated in his confession that he shot the four adults as they sat around their campfire, then shot the girls as they slept in the tent, saying he only wanted to rob them. 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. Sarah was 16 years old at the time. 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. The abandoned logging road on Trophy Mountain was not easy to access. However, Alan lived long enough to get out of the shower and walk to the bedroom where he collapsed beside his wife and bled to death. 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. They never returned home. Edward Wayne Edwards Wikipedia Edwards killed at least 5 and is suspected of many other murders. Im just gonna destroy your entire argument with 1 clue Dianes sister (Diane was Sarahs mother) gave detectives. He remembered the meeting exactly as Shearing had described it. I poured gasoline it just went Whoomph! I stood back and watched it burn. Although grand jury records have disappeared, then-Chisago County Attorney S. Bernard Wennerberg said two pistols and a rifle found in the burned rubble may have been murder weapons. Hence he was not ready for freedom. "It's anybody's guess what really happened," Brian Johnson says, doubting the mystery will ever be solved. JOHN, Fla. - New reports reveal that Tonya Thomas, a Florida mother, shot her four children 18 times before killing herself. Sarah pleaded not guilty to the murders and she was held on $2 million bond. 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. She was tucked up in bed and presumably killed while still asleep. An investigation of the crime scene turned up a discarded bathrobe and blood-stained latex glove that had been hidden in the garbage can outside the home. He even denounced ISIS - the militant Islamic group that his lawyers say influenced his thinking before the murder - at his sentencing. This was very unusual for the 25-year employee. (The Canadian Press) A man convicted of the mass murder of a family nearly 40 years ago revealed chilling details of his crime Wednesday as the Parole Board of Canada once again rejected his. Royal Canadian Mounted Police detectives, Sergeant Mike Eastham and Constable Ken Liebel were convinced David Shearing was guilty from the beginning and tried to get his confidence. Mary Lea was born in 1926 to blue-eyed, titian-haired society girl Ruth Dill Johnson, the first of the three wives of J. Seward Johnson, a playboy and one of the early barons of the then family . But then on October 18, 1983, fourteen months after the murders with the trail running cold for the killer, the Bentley's camper truck was finally found by two forestry workers, near Bear Creek, on an old logging road near Trophy Mountain. He drove the car to a secluded spot and burnt it. However, investigators had sealed off the street and turned away the garbage truck which was making it rounds shortly after the shooting. However, entire families are sometimes murdered by a lone psychopath or somebody bent on revenge. Constable Leibel said in an interview 25 years after the murders, Thats how close everyone was to them. But not before a coroner's inquest jury examined the bones and determined Albin's remains were not among them. 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. I put the bodies in the car, four in the back seat, and the two little ones in the trunk. His trial was originally scheduled to begin on March 5, 1984, but this date was postponed to April 16, 1984, after he waived his preliminary hearing. On the morning of the 2nd of September, 2003, 16-year-oldSarah Marie Johnsonfrom Bellevue, Idaho, ran to her neighbors home in hysterics. But they never found him. But Shearing hid the girls behind the door and told them to stay quiet. In 1995 he married a woman from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Readers can send him ideas and suggestions at mnhistory@startribune.com. Court TV: Case coverage. Stolen Kia being chased by patrol in Mpls. The enormity of the crimes demand the maximum sentence.. I dont have any right to go into your house and examine your guns. Its a remarkable story, but as Brian Johnson notes, the methods and tools that law enforcement had at the time to trace suspects movements or coordinate searches paled in comparison to what they have today. They were Bob and Jackie Johnson, their two daughters (Janet, 13 and Karen, 11), and Jackie's parents, George and Edith Bentley. A prison guard was supervising prisoners from a local jail who were fishing on the river. The other charges they were referring to was controlled substance charges.6. Their time near the beautiful Wells Gray Park was cut short by a sadistic, brutal killer obsessed with young girls. 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. Even so, we can salute the combined efforts of all those searching for the suspect, public and private alike. 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. I know the mans heart is in the right place and Im just here to back him up.. As it transpired, Sarah had been dating a 19-year-old undocumented immigrant named Bruno Santos and her parents had disapproved of him. In his new book, he blends journalistic balance with his personal connections to the case. It had been burned using an accelerant, probably gasoline mixed with something else. 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. Sounds like Sarahs somehow achieved internet access. Johnsons burnt out car discovered September 13, 1982. This was the maximum possible penalty for second degree murder and the first time in Canadian history that it had been handed out. Alan was shot twice in the chest, while Diane was shot in the head. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Silly and selfish girl. 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. Locals had seen the family camped at Bear Creek and a search of the area by the RCMP resulted in six spent .22 caliber ammunition shells being located. 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 National Parole Board ruled that he still had violent sexual fantasies and hadn't completed sex offender treatment. According to Sarah, she was asleep in her bedroom when she heard gunshots echo out. 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. He repeated the process with Janet, the older daughter, on August 17, 1982. Mike Eastham whose book about the investigation was published in 1999. Initially, he was led to believe the arrest was related to a hit and run incident which he quickly confessed to before the detectives confronted him with the Bennett-Johnson case. This case is at the upper range of culpability. However, many were perplexed that the sentences were concurrent, giving him the chance to escape the prison system in later life. We had no reason to suspect him.. There was a trail of blood and footprints on the carpet leading from the bathroom to the bedroom. Sick Robert Brown is up for automatic release later this year - just 13 years into . To the police, it was clear that the 40-year-old landlord had been killed by his tenant Arne Cheyenne Johnson . The two girls were already in their tent, ready for bed. Just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, Palestine police officers responded to a call in the 200 blk. 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. Because of the location of the vehicle in an accessible area, it was quickly assumed that a local was responsible for the murders. 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. Royal Canadian Mounted Police detectives, Sergeant Mike Eastham and Constable Ken Liebel were convinced David Shearing was guilty from the beginning and tried to get his confidence. 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 . Alan was an executive and director of Webb Landscape and Garden Centres and Diane was employed at the Hailey Medical Clinic. The following story was inspired by Murder in Chisago County: The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery by Brian Johnson, who chronicles the investigation of his great-uncle Albin Johnson and the still-unsolved, suspicious death of Albins wife Alvira and their seven children in 1933. Following Shearings conviction, RCMP Sergeant Mike Eastham re-interviewed him and got the disturbing truth behind the killings - pedophilia. how do you become so self absorbed that murdering your parents doesnt even phase you? 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.. When authorities failed to find any of his remains in the burned house, a manhunt spun north to Canada where Albin had spent three years working in Saskatchewan logging camps. If She Winds Up Being Captured,However,Then She Will Need To Argue That She Got Kidnapped From Prison By Christopher Kevin Hill & That He Confessed To Her That He Shot Her Parents To Death,Only To Avoid Paying Rent On The Guesthouse. Dear Jack, Sorry but you are an illiterate idiot. In 1933, Alvira Johnson and her seven children were killed in a rapid blaze that burned down their Minnesota home. Here at Crime Capsule, we spend a lot of time looking at the criminals involved in heinous deeds (rather, misdeeds). My response to your comment is ha ha, very funny as I hope it is a person who has nothing to do all day and decided to enflame the comment section. The tyrants know this is scientific fact and use it to prey on the young!!! We also have evidence part of his previous record has been purged, said defense lawyer, Robert Pangburn. Questions, investigations and lawsuits have abounded in the years since Johnson's body was discovered at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., in January 2013. David Shearing or David Ennis remains in prison at Bowden Institution, south of Red Deer, Alberta, now aged 61 years of age. It Might Now Be Time For Sarah To Make Her Escape From Prison,Perhaps Similar To How It Was Done In The Shawshank Redemption,Except Maybe She Could Use A Poster Of Michael Jackson To Hide The Opening To Her Freedom. It would have been quite a coincidence that the house just happened to go up in flames at precisely that moment of desperation.". Sign up for the Crime Capsule newsletter today. I lost the two best friends I ever had. His second application, in 2012, was also rejected when a petition with 13,258 signatures was presented to the National Parole Board. When deputies pulled up to the family home on Riebel Ridge Road in Ohio Township around 9:40 a.m. Monday, Theresa Cain was standing on the patio outside, the sheriff said. Thats why the traditional age of adulthood was 21!!! 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. The bodies were so consumed that they were eventually interred together in one child-sized casket. The cognitive mind is still developing even at 18!! It sounds like youre in inmate with this convicted criminal. A Parent's Murder and a 16-Year-old Daughter's Conviction: The Sarah Johnson Parricide Case On 2 September 2003, 16-year-old Sarah Johnson called 911 from her neighbor's house telling the operator her parents had just been shot by an intruder by Fiona Guy 14 June, 2022 in Family Violence & Homicide Reading Time: 8 mins read A A He lusted over the young girls and was determined to sexually abuse them even if it meant killing the parents and grandparents. There are no ameliorating or mitigating factors. Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. The apparent confession was a complete fabrication and at the time the RCMP had had little choice but to accept Shearings version of events due to lack of evidence. Shearing now goes by his mother's maiden name, Ennis. 1: On April 10th, 1933, the small town of Harris, Minnesota was shocked to see the Johnson family's farmhouse burning down. Morbidology Podcast The article continues below Killed for Being in the Way The Karissa Boudreau Murder, Ruth Ellis The Final Woman to Hang in Britain. 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. The family last contacted relatives on August 6 when Edith called a second daughter, according to retired RCMP Sgt. Johnson's guilt was so much he ended up going to the authorities. Heather Ennis claims her husband deserves a second chance, I have seen so much change in this man since we met (in 1993). I have a hard time believing all this and I cant say anything right now because it wouldnt be fair to Dave.. 1:57 Family of victims of notorious Johnson-Bentley murders fight potential parole of killer In 1982, David Shearing killed six members of the same family in B.C., including two young girls. Six months after the fire, a grand jury indicted Albin in the deaths. "The more conventional view is that Johnson just slipped away," writes Brian Johnson, whose grandmother was Alvira's sister. Shearing had graduated from high school and had successfully completed a heavy mechanic's course. The burnt remnants provided no clues, but the location was of interest. The enormity of the crimes demand the maximum sentence.. Some leads generated from all the publicity through investigators seriously off the scent. After all, justice work is, at best, teamwork. Eastham what really happened. They were promptly "obliterated" when other vehicles poured into the farmyard. Judge, I would like to see the maximum sentence because after tomorrow I dont want to have to hear about her or this event again. 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. of Joe Louis St. where someone reported a shooting. The RCMP posted a $7,500 reward, printed 10,000 posters and sent them to police detachments and post offices across North America. Forensic investigation of the bone fragments found that they had been shot with a .22 caliber gun. Johnson's new 120-page book "Murder in Chisago County" (The History Press) zeros in on husband and father Albin Johnson, who was charged with killing his family before fleeing during the Depression. 1. Leibel found them next to a second set, JJ, for 13-year-old Janet Johnson. He took the bodies back to the Johnson family car, which hed hidden and put the girls bodies in the trunk. Police created an exact replica of the Bentley 1981 Ford camper down to the last detail, including the aluminum boat strapped to the roof. 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. 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.