Man who killed family of 6 on camping trip in 1982 denied parole

Man who killed family of 6 on camping trip in 1982 denied parole

David Ennis killed family as they camped near Wells Gray Provincial Park near Clearwater, B.C.

A man who killed three generations of a British Columbia family during a camping trip in the 1980s has been denied parole again.

David Ennis shot and killed George and Edith Bentley; their daughter Jackie Johnson; son-in-law Bob; and grandchildren Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, all from Kelowna, B.C, while they camped at Wells Gray Park near Clearwater in 1982.

A decision from the Parole Board of Canada says Ennis poses a risk of violent or sexual reoffending that would be unmanageable if he were released.

It says Ennis watched his victims at their campsite before fatally shooting the four adults and keeping the two children alive for days, sexually assaulting the older girl.

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Parole denied for B.C. man who murdered family of 6 on camping trip in 1982

The decision issued Monday says Ennis then shot the girls and set fire to the vehicle in which he left the bodies, which were later discovered by a berry picker.

Ennis, who changed his name from David Shearing, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for the killings.

The parole board says the aggravating factor in its latest denial was Ennis's decision to "callously and viciously" end the lives of six people in order to gain access to a female child victim, with the aim of satisfying his "sexually deviant fantasies."

Ennis was previously denied day and full parole in 2008, 2012 and 2021.