23/08/2026
CASE UPDATE: David Ennis—formerly known as David Shearing—has once again been denied full parole.
The Parole Board of Canada determined that Ennis had failed to present a viable release plan and would pose an undue risk to society if released.
In August 1982, Ennis murdered George and Edith Bentley; their daughter, Jackie Johnson; her husband, Bob Johnson; and the couple’s daughters, Janet, 13, and Karen, 11.
For more than four decades, their surviving loved ones have fought to ensure the six victims are remembered and that Ennis remains behind bars. The latest petition opposing his release collected approximately 63,000 signatures.
In Episode 148 of True North True Crime, we speak with Shelley Bowden, niece of Bob and Jackie, about the murders and the family’s decades-long fight through repeated parole proceedings.