He told the girls to turn around so he could urinate, then shot each sister in the back of the head. The media referred to the tragedy as the Wells Gray Park murders, but the actual site of the familys massacre was just outside the park entrance. March 16, 2019 - 6:59 PM. I put the bodies in the car, four in the back seat, and the two little ones in the trunk. If you really believe what you said it might be time to see some doctors, clearly somethings a miss. Collections; Project #ShowUs; . of both murders. Greg Shearing, Davids brother, said I have a lot of questions Id like to ask the police, too. Shearing now goes by his mother's maiden name, Ennis. Kendrick Johnson with his mother and father, Kenneth and Jackie Johnson (The Johnson Family) VALDOSTA, Ga. - Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said he is putting up a $500,000 reward of. Imagine going to the extremes to be with a man only to try and blame him afterwards. The actual shooter in this case is Christopher Kevin Hill,who is 6 feet tall,he shot Alan from straight across,while standing flat on the ground,all that he had to do,after he shot Diane,who was sleeping in bed,was aim the rifleRead more . It has begun to rely more on thought than emotion!!! Shearing moved the girls to his family farm the next day, and then, on August 16, 1982, he walked Karen, the younger daughter, into the woods and killed her. The wreckage was similar to the car that the Johnsons were driving. That was just money lost, paying them for nothing, said Jeanette Johnson, Alviras niece.. The charred remains were that of the Bentley and Johnson families. Constable Leibel said in an interview 25 years after the murders, Thats how close everyone was to them. Sarah pleaded not guilty to the murders and she was held on $2 million bond. Then, RCMP Constable Ken Leibel hiked through the bush to the fishing cabin. I poured gasoline it just went Whoomph! I stood back and watched it burn. Foul play, residents in the close-knit Swedish immigrant community cried. Shearing then applied again in 2014, then withdrew the request a month before the hearing. Eerily, a crucifix that fell from the wall lay on top of the murder weapon. In the meantime, online and paper petitions got 15,258 signatures urging the parole board not to release him. The media referred to the tragedy as the Wells Gray Park murders, but the actual site of the familys massacre was just outside the park entrance. 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. Their daughter, Sarah Johnson, was found guilty of their murder. Tuesday's post-conviction. Shearing said he looked in, told them a dangerous biker gang was around and their parents had run for help. Pinkerton's Persistent PI's 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. 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. Shearing said he looked in, told them a dangerous biker gang was around and their parents had run for help. At the time of the interview, the murder weapon, Shearings .22 caliber rifle, hung on the wall of the family home. 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. On the 30th of October, Sarah was arrested and charged as an adult in the double homicide of her parents. Forensic investigation of the bone fragments found that they had been shot with a .22 caliber gun. vaults I-94 overpass, tumbles to embankment, Court penalizes leader of 'sham' Edina nonprofit that worked with Feeding Our Future, Kia, Hyundai thefts shot up 836% in Mpls. An investigation revealed deep secrets and a grudge Sarah had been holding over her parents. I poured gasoline it just went Whoomph! I stood back and watched it burn. Tragically, some of these rare cases are never solved. 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. 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. The Bentleys subsequently arrived with their truck and camper van, with a boat on top. Allegedly, Alan and Diane had threatened to have Bruno arrested if Sarah didnt cut ties with him. On August 2, 1982, Bob Johnson, 44, and Jackie Johnson, 41, and their daughters Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, went on a two-week camping trip with Jackie's parents,George Bentley, 66, and Edith Bentley, 59. Police hoped the re-enactment would spark someones memory but despite being flooded with calls, no solid leads came of the effort. The other charges they were referring to was controlled substance charges.6. Even so, we can salute the combined efforts of all those searching for the suspect, public and private alike. In advance of the campers arrival at each town or city, police held press conferences to publicize the campers arrival. Six months after the fire, a grand jury indicted Albin in the deaths. He gives voice to Albin's defenders, who insist he either died in the fire or took his own life. Shearing accidentally admitted to Eastham that he had heard the murders were committed at Bear Creek which was not information that had been released to the public. In May 1983 they drove the camper from British Columbia to Quebec, again in the hopes someone would see it and remember something relating to the case. 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. Were proud to honor those men and women. He said he cleaned the campsite, then took the truck/camper back to his nearby property, only to burn it later when he discovered how difficult it was to re-register. With Albin suspected of having fled to Canada, a massive manhunt began, with newspapers as far as Texas carrying the story: but early leads turned up only red herrings and false identifications. On August 2, 1982, Bob Johnson, 44, and Jackie Johnson, 41, and their daughters Janet, 13, and Karen, 11, went on a two-week camping trip with Jackie's parents, George Bentley, 66, and Edith Bentley, 59. 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. Coincidentally, David Shearing was one of the first individuals to have been interviewed by RCMP after the investigation started when the two families were discovered in the car. Court TV: Case coverage. Did Government Officials Cover Up a Lethal Ohio School Poisoning? He told the RCMP that he loaded the bodies into their car, drove it by night to the mountainside, and set it on fire using five gallons of gasoline. They did not, in any way, provoke him. The burnt remnants provided no clues, but the location was of interest. The accident was never reported to the police. 1. Now Johnson, who was arrested in Utah on a murder warrant issued by the Humboldt County District Attorney's office after allegedly being found with his mother, Melissa Johnson, and her boyfriend . Sometimes, however, a case needs a little more manpower than the public sector can provide. She said there wasdebris, pieces or hair, skin and a sogginess under my feet.In the main bedroom lay the lifeless body of Diane. 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 group traveled to the remote Wells Gray Provincial Park,a wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia,Canada, around 300 miles (478 km) to the northeast of Vancouver. They left the cabin after they were nearly discovered. 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.. At first, the 1981 murder of Alan Bono appeared to be an open-and-shut case in Brookfield, Connecticut. Many hours were wasted on these "wild goose" chases as the public phoned in thousands of sightings which all needed to be investigated. 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. Hes always worked hard and he always saw that I had everything. William Shearing, Davids father, died from cancer on March 19, 1982, about six months before the murders. In addition to the DNA evidence, Dianes sister testified that just the day before the murders, Sarah had asked for the keys to the gun safe. She was tucked up in bed and presumably killed while still asleep. The cover of Flagstaff's Walkup Family Murders: A. Some leads generated from all the publicity through investigators seriously off the scent. Sounds like Sarahs somehow achieved internet access. The National Parole Board ruled that he still had violent sexual fantasies and hadn't completed sex offender treatment. Sarah Was Not Even In The Guest House That Day. 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. Prosecutor Thomas said that despite the fact that Sarah was being charged as an adult, he wouldnt be seeking the death penalty. Hey,I Already Said About How I Know That An Innocent Woman Is Mistakenly Incarcerated,Check Out The Details,Once Again & You Will See How. 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. Sarah Never Said About Wanting The Keys To The Gun Safe & She Never Even Touch Those Keys,Linda Vavold Was Bribed By Jim Thomas Into Making It Up. -- Tammy Arishenkoff is a bundle of emotions when she speaks about the mass murder of the Johnson and Bentley families in British Columbia's Cariboo region 30 years ago. On September 13, the Johnson family car was found burned in a clearing off a mountainside logging road, thirteen aerial miles from Bear Creek. 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. The Bentleys subsequently arrived with their truck and camper van, with a boat on top. Shearing lived three miles from the site of the murders and the police had never released the information about the bullet hole. Doing something like this to be with a man and now you are in prison for life! Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. To the police, it was clear that the 40-year-old landlord had been killed by his tenant Arne Cheyenne Johnson . "It's anybody's guess what really happened," Brian Johnson says, doubting the mystery will ever be solved. He was the 12th federal inmate put to death under . Authorities said . He lusted over the young girls and was determined to sexually abuse them even if it meant killing the parents and grandparents. 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. The group traveled to the remote Wells Gray Provincial Park,a wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia,Canada, around 300 miles (478 km) to the northeast of Vancouver. He said he cleaned the campsite, then took the truck/camper back to his nearby property, only to burn it later when he discovered how difficult it was to re-register. Yeah, let me kill my parents and then him and I will ride off into the sunset of blissful living. She recalled that as soon as she opened the door, she smelt a strange odor. Investigators had also discovered that Sarahs socks were spattered with Dianes blood despite the fact that Sarah claimed she did not go near the bodies out of fear of what she would find. "I wanted to contribute to the historical record and keep the memory of the family alive," he said in an interview. At other times, they pound away like a pile driver.". By this point, Bruno had been deported to Mexico but was ordered to return to the United States when immigration officials discovered his importance to the case.5, During Sarahs trial, the prosecution alleged that Sarah had killed her parents for opposing to her relationship. Apparently the agency was concerned that multiple reports of his movements might influence the Canadian authorities interest in the case, or the lengths to which they would go to track the suspect downeven if he had fled across the border. 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. I do think you should cease the slandering comments of an innocent man though. He told the RCMP that he loaded the bodies into their car, drove it by night to the mountainside, and set it on fire using five gallons of gasoline. Where: Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, 5760 Portland Av. The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. Petition: Help the Johnson and Bentley Family Read and sign the petition here . When Kim Richards opened her front door, Sarah screamed that somebody had shot her parents, Diane and Alan Johnson. The abandoned logging road on Trophy Mountain was not easy to access. This was very unusual for the 25-year employee. I guess there is honor among thieves. However, he did not elaborate any further. However, many were perplexed that the sentences were concurrent, giving him the chance to escape the prison system in later life. On August 16, 1982, Bob Johnson failed to return to work at Gorman Brothers Lumber in Westbank. WEST PALM BEACH Corey Johnson apologized Thursday for killing 13-year-old Jovanni Sierra at a 2018 sleepover. Using two handguns, including a Hi-Point Model JHP.45-caliber pistol (which he bought from Sydmor's Jewelry in neighboring Barberton, Ohio five days before) and a .357 Magnum six-shot revolver he bought from the same location in 2005, Hance opened fire at a house in the 2300 block of Goodenough Avenue. I cant believe how she could kill the two people in the world who loved her the most., Sarahs own brother, Matt Johnson, also addressed his sister, stating: I think some honesty needs to come out of you, and you need to plead to the court for some for forgiveness. 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 David Shearing finally told Sgt. Johnson's guilt was so much he ended up going to the authorities. Crucially he handed the police a .22 caliber Remington pump-action rifle, which was forensically matched as the murder weapon. Grandma wanted to find him She contacted them [the Pinkertons]. Suspicion soon fell upon Sarah who by this point, had changed her story several times. 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. Murder in Chisago County : The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery - Signed | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! On the 16th of March, 2005, Sarah Marie Johnson was found guilty The interview took place in the back yard of the Shearing family farmhouse, around a mile from the murder scene. But the author also injects his role as a relative of the victims, recalling childhood visits to the graves of the family. By that timewhile the brain is still growing and developing it has reached a certain level of stability!!! 2, One of the first officers on the scene was Marshall Randy Tremble. The gun safe was also unlocked, not broken into, and with Sarah being the one with the key its pretty self explanatory. He came to the door of the cabin to tell Shearing not to be alarmed. 2 (2020 Podcast Episode) Plot. I have a hard time believing all this and I cant say anything right now because it wouldnt be fair to Dave.. Shearing did not appeal his sentence. In his new book, he blends journalistic balance with his personal connections to the case. He remembered the meeting exactly as Shearing had described it. The two girls were already in their tent, ready for bed. 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. Most worrying of all was the fact that Albin Johnson, Alviras husband, was nowhere to be found. 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 accident was never reported to the police. The interview took place in the back yard of the Shearing family farmhouse, around a mile from the murder scene. However, investigators had sealed off the street and turned away the garbage truck which was making it rounds shortly after the shooting. KELOWNA, B.C. But they never found him. To double-check the story, Eastham found the prison guard. Im gonna take a wild guess and say the police knows their job, and youre being delusional. The case took another turn on Sept. 7, 2021, when PEOPLE reported that members of Alex's law firm had confronted him about missing money on Sept. 3 . Many hours were wasted on these "wild goose" chases as the public phoned in thousands of sightings which all needed to be investigated. She was also a victim of domestic abuse. The. "At times, the facts surrounding the mystery bounce through my head like the silver orb in a pinball machine. In response to the murders of 17-year-old Ruth Shelton, 20-year-old Jayne Friedt, 16-year-old Mark Flemmonds, and 16-year-old Daniel Roy Davis, Burger Chef offered the public a $25,000 reward for any clues that could lead to an arrest. They went door to door in the small community and questioned everyone in town a second time. In September 2008, David Shearing was up for parole - 24 years after his conviction for the murders. 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. Because of the location of the vehicle in an accessible area, it was quickly assumed that a local was responsible for the murders. His latest book looks at 1918 Minnesota, when flu, war and fires converged: http://strib.mn/MN1918. Two sticks with sharp ends, probably used by the two girls to roast marshmallows were also at the site. 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. He went home and returned either that night or the next with a loaded .22 rifle. On February 16, 1981, Arne Cheyenne Johnson fatally stabbed his landlord Alan Bono and then said the Devil made him do it. All three were sentenced to life in prison for their roles. While they stayed in the tent, he said, he loaded the bodies of their parents and grandparents into the back seat of the family car and covered the bodies with a blanket. They were horrified to discover that Alvira Johnson and her seven children all perished in the blaze. The abandoned logging road on Trophy Mountain was not easy to access. In Murder in Chisago County: The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery, author Brian Johnson describes how almost immediately the case began to baffle investigators. 10 The Tan Siblings THE CASE OF THE TAN FAMILY We had no reason to suspect him.. On the morning of the 2nd of September, 2003, 16-year-oldSarah Marie Johnsonfrom Bellevue, Idaho, ran to her neighbors home in hysterics. 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. 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. Why? The remains of Alvira Johnson and her seven kids Harold, 10; Clifford, 9; Kenneth, 7; Dorothy, 5; Bernice, 4; Lester, 2, and James, 4 months were buried in a single casket. Unfortunately, even the group that took on Jesse James and Butch Cassidy may have met their match. On April 17, 1984, Justice McKay sentenced David William Shearing to six concurrent terms of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. It had been burned using an accelerant, probably gasoline mixed with something else. I knelt down, and I shot the other two.. Greg Shearing, Davids brother, said I have a lot of questions Id like to ask the police, too. Shearing told Leibel he carved his initials on the wall there. The enormity of the crimes demand the maximum sentence.. Heather Ennis claims her husband deserves a second chance, I have seen so much change in this man since we met (in 1993). 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. We do not really know, but it seems it was to rob and kill. They contended that Sarah had hoped that with her parents out of the way, she and Bruno could live on their inheritance. Alan was 6 feet 6 inches tall & Sarah is only 5 feet 2 inches tall,meaning that she was too short to shoot him in the chest by shooting from straight across,while standing flat on the ground. Her grisly death certificate, dated April 11, 1933, says the 29-year-old was "burned beyond recognition" and found in the charred ruins of their farmhouse 4 miles northeast of Harris. On August 16, 1982, Bob Johnson failed to return to work at Gorman Brothers Lumber in Westbank. Leibel found them next to a second set, JJ, for 13-year-old Janet Johnson. Eastham told Shearing, You know why Im here, David. 3. Sarah was 16 years old at the time. Despite his reputation and criminal record, Shearing came from a respectable family. If the fire started in the kitchen stove, experts say some of the victims would have been awakened by the smell of smoke. The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. and its not this Christopher character. I think you sexually abused those girls before you killed them. It would have been quite a coincidence that the house just happened to go up in flames at precisely that moment of desperation.". Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook. 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. Heather Ennis claims her husband deserves a second chance, I have seen so much change in this man since we met (in 1993). After effort and persuasion, Eastham managed to convince Shearing to confess to the six murders and he eventually agreed to re-enact the murders and even to turn over the murdered familys possessions. 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.