Parole denied again for man who murdered BC camping family of six in 1982

David Ennis, who killed three generations of a Kelowna family at Wells Gray Park in 1982, has been denied parole again by the Parole Board of Canada.

Parole board rules Ennis remains unmanageable risk after 1982 Wells Gray murders

Google News CA — Crime (EN) reports that David Ennis, the man who shot and killed six members of a British Columbia family during a camping trip more than four decades ago, has once again been denied parole.

Ennis — formerly known as David Shearing — fatally shot George and Edith Bentley, their daughter Jackie Johnson, son-in-law Bob Johnson, and grandchildren Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, all from Kelowna, B.C., while the family camped at Wells Gray Park near Clearwater in 1982.

The Parole Board of Canada's decision, issued Monday, states that Ennis poses a risk of violent or sexual reoffending that would be unmanageable if he were released into the community.

According to the board, Ennis surveilled his victims at their campsite before shooting the four adults. He kept the two children alive for several days, sexually assaulting the older girl, before shooting both and setting fire to the vehicle in which he left their bodies. A berry picker later discovered the remains.

The board identified the central aggravating factor as Ennis's decision to "callously and viciously" kill six people in order to gain access to a female child victim, with the aim of satisfying his "sexually deviant fantasies."

Ennis was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 25 years following his conviction. He has previously been denied both day parole and full parole in 2008, 2012, and 2021.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)