A prison guard was supervising prisoners from a local jail who were fishing on the river. They were horrified to discover that Alvira Johnson and her seven children all perished in the blaze. Shearing then applied again in 2014, then withdrew the request a month before the hearing. The family's patriarch, Albin Johnson, was strangely missing, and the police desperately searched for him as their . Brian Johnson will discuss his new book, Murder in Chisago County, about the death of his great-aunt Alvira Lundeen Johnson and her seven children in 1933. On September 13, the Johnson family car was found burned in a clearing off a mountainside logging road, thirteen aerial miles from Bear Creek. Sadly it was the last family vacation they were ever to go on. As part of the guilty plea, Shearing stated in a written statement: I walked out of the bush from behind the camper and started shooting. Shearing lived three miles from the site of the murders and the police had never released the information about the bullet hole. Grandma wanted to find him She contacted them [the Pinkertons]. 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. Murder in Chisago County : The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery - Signed | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! He was the 12th federal inmate put to death under . Fellow workers reported that Bob was missing to the RCMP on August 23, 1982. I have a hard time believing all this and I cant say anything right now because it wouldnt be fair to Dave.. 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. The Chisago County Press reported her body was lying near the crib of 4-month-old James her youngest. But not before a. His father, since deceased, had once been a prison guard and his brother was a sheriff. But all eight were found in sleeping positions convincing authorities that they were dead when the fire started. Police lifted the wreck out with a helicopter and transported it to the RCMP Crime Lab in Vancouver. 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. They contended that Sarah had hoped that with her parents out of the way, she and Bruno could live on their inheritance. There was a Winchester rifle on the bedroom floor which was typically kept in an adjoining guest house. Sarah was 16 years old at the time. 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. His father, since deceased, had once been a prison guard and his brother was a sheriff. 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. 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. An investigation revealed deep secrets and a grudge Sarah had been holding over her parents. 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. Pictures: Fla. mom killed her 4. Some beer caps of the brand known to be drunk by Bob Johnson were also found as well as full bottles cooling in a nearby stream. Concerned, the hairdresser called Johnson's daughter-in-law, and the two went to her two-story Clifton home on Cedar Street to check on her. Crucially he handed the police a .22 caliber Remington pump-action rifle, which was forensically matched as the murder weapon. 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. To double-check the story, Eastham found the prison guard. 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. Investigators pieced together the string of events leading up to the murders of Alan and Diane. When Kim Richards opened her front door, Sarah screamed that somebody had shot her parents, Diane and Alan Johnson. 1. 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. Corey Johnson Teen Killer Murders At Sleepover - My Crime Library The Bentleys subsequently arrived with their truck and camper van, with a boat on top. Kendrick Johnson: Sheriff puts up $500K reward for information on Shearing now goes by his mother's maiden name, Ennis. The cover of Flagstaff's Walkup Family Murders: A. The bodies were found in January 1990. Iowa man accused of killing parents, sister inside family's home 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. Some leads generated from all the publicity through investigators seriously off the scent. Tragically, some of these rare cases are never solved. NYPD officer's widow pleads with parole board to keep husband's killer Shearing told Leibel he carved his initials on the wall there. Find The Otero Family Murders stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Jan. 15, 2021. He told the girls to turn around so he could urinate, then shot each sister in the back of the head. The gun safe was also unlocked, not broken into, and with Sarah being the one with the key its pretty self explanatory. Marvin was tried and convicted of double-homicide in 2013, Jenelle and Barbara in 2015 in a joint trial. 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. "I know I contributed to the spread of evil in this world," Johnson, now 21, told the court. But they never found him. Its possible that the number of theories surrounding Albins disappearance may have hindered the Pinkerton search, Johnson writes. Using investigative research combined with primary audio, Morbidology takes an in-depth look at true crime cases from all across the world. 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. They did not, in any way, provoke him. David Shearing finally told Sgt. As part of the guilty plea, Shearing stated in a written statement: I walked out of the bush from behind the camper and started shooting. "I wanted to contribute to the historical record and keep the memory of the family alive," he said in an interview. The charred remains were that of the Bentley and Johnson families. David Shearing | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers Brian Johnson, 55, has spent more than 20 years as a staff writer at Finance & Commerce a daily Minnesota business newspaper. 3. More than 85 years later, Alvira's great-nephew insists the one-day discrepancy between the gravestone and death certificate was no typo or goof. [3] 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. 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. Suspicion soon fell upon Sarah who by this point, had changed her story several times. I guess there is honor among thieves. It covers 5,250 square kilometers (1.3 million acres) and is British Columbia's fourth-largest park, after Tatshenshini,Spatsizi and Tweedsmuir. Florida Family Massacre: Tonya Thomas shot her kids 18 times before 86 The Johnson-Bentley Family Murders Canadian True Crime But not before a coroner's inquest jury examined the bones and determined Albin's remains were not among them. New evidence in Upstate triple homicide from 1993 now being - MSN Sarah Didnt Do It,She Did Not Pull The Trigger. They went door to door in the small community and questioned everyone in town a second time. Alan was shot twice in the chest, while Diane was shot in the head. All three were sentenced to life in prison for their roles. What to know about Alex Murdaugh's murder trial Shearing had graduated from high school and had successfully completed a heavy mechanic's course. Credits: Research: Haley Gray At first, the 1981 murder of Alan Bono appeared to be an open-and-shut case in Brookfield, Connecticut. Greg Shearing, Davids brother, said I have a lot of questions Id like to ask the police, too. 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. 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. Edward Wayne Edwards Wikipedia Edwards killed at least 5 and is suspected of many other murders. 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. Eastham told Shearing, You know why Im here, David. I honestly have no idea how you think Sarah is innocent andRead more . He took the bodies back to the Johnson family car, which hed hidden and put the girls bodies in the trunk. 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. 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. Following Shearings conviction, RCMP Sergeant Mike Eastham re-interviewed him and got the disturbing truth behind the killings - pedophilia. After letting Sarah inside her home to calm down, Richards approached the Johnson home and slowly opened the front door. The victims were unknown to the prisoner. But for a cruel act of fate, those two precious little girls would be alive today.. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Wells Gray area was a valued hunting ground to the Secwepemc (Shuswap),Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin)and Canim Lake aboriginal groups. By 10 Worst Unsolved Mass Murders In US History - Listverse 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. He remembered the meeting exactly as Shearing had described it. The fire that killed Alvira Johnson: Depression-era murder, or tragic She removed the .264 caliber rifle that was stored here and subsequently shot her parents. He knew they were camped at the site and carefully scouted the situation. Bobbi Gale Johnson - Caffey Family Murders & Arson 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. Yeah, let me kill my parents and then him and I will ride off into the sunset of blissful living. He said that the crime scene took him aback. Skull fragments sullied the bedroom floor and walls and blood spatter stained both the bathroom and the bedroom. After all, justice work is, at best, teamwork. On the morning of the 2nd of September, 2003, 16-year-oldSarah Marie Johnsonfrom Bellevue, Idaho, ran to her neighbors home in hysterics. He drove the car to a secluded spot and burnt it. In Murder in Chisago County: The Unsolved Johnson Family Mystery, author Brian Johnson describes how almost immediately the case began to baffle investigators. 1. He even denounced ISIS - the militant Islamic group that his lawyers say influenced his thinking before the murder - at his sentencing. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. It had been burned using an accelerant, probably gasoline mixed with something else. Just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, Palestine police officers responded to a call in the 200 blk. 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. The. The Bender Family. 10 Tragic Unsolved Cases Of Murdered Families - Listverse I lost the two best friends I ever had. The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. Then, RCMP Constable Ken Leibel hiked through the bush to the fishing cabin. Did the devil make him do it? A real-life Connecticut murder trial the St. Paul residents ask: When will the recycling truck cometh. I went to the tent. Replica of the Bentley 1981 Ford camper used to publicise the missing vehicle. They went door to door in the small community and questioned everyone in town a second time. They did not, in any way, provoke him. Parole denied for B.C. man who murdered family of 6 on camping trip in 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. Mike Eastham whose book about the investigation was published in 1999. We also have evidence part of his previous record has been purged, said defense lawyer, Robert Pangburn. 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. Why? We do not really know, but it seems it was to rob and kill. These 10 Kansas Serial Killers' Stories Will Chill You To The Bone He was taken into custody for questioning. Alex Murdaugh, right . Curt Brown It had been burned using an accelerant, probably gasoline mixed with something else. He has committed crimes recently and we have evidence he has the proclivity to do more, Pangburn said. Greg Shearing, Davids brother, said I have a lot of questions Id like to ask the police, too. Foul play, residents in the close-knit Swedish immigrant community cried. The Bentleys subsequently arrived with their truck and camper van, with a boat on top. It sounds like youre in inmate with this convicted criminal. 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 . At the time of the interview, the murder weapon, Shearings .22 caliber rifle, hung on the wall of the family home. The burnt remnants provided no clues, but the location was of interest. Laying on the floor next to the bed was the bloody body of Alan. In the meantime, online and paper petitions got 15,258 signatures urging the parole board not to release him. Because of the location of the vehicle in an accessible area, it was quickly assumed that a local was responsible for the murders. It has begun to rely more on thought than emotion!!! . 8 Famous Homicides In Wisconsin Will Never Be Forgotten - OnlyInYourState He went home and returned either that night or the next with a loaded .22 rifle. Two sticks with sharp ends, probably used by the two girls to roast marshmallows were also at the site. The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. 3rd Johnson brother gets life sentence for brutal Lakeland murder Authorities said . 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. The Johnson Family Murders Pt. 1 - IMDb We do not really know, but it seems it was to rob and kill. Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. The abandoned logging road on Trophy Mountain was not easy to access. The Shocking Family Triple Murder Case Roiling Humboldt County 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. 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. 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. Then he crawled into the tent with the girls. The same as I didnt have any right to go into Mr. Shearings house. She was subsequently sentenced to two concurrent life terms plus 15 years for a firearm enhancement. 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. By that timewhile the brain is still growing and developing it has reached a certain level of stability!!! Murderpedia. "I think her family, who presumably ordered the marker, was making a statement that they'd been murdered on the 10th before the house was torched in the early hours of the 11th," says Richfield author Brian Johnson. The guard noticed nothing unusual. I put the bodies in the car, four in the back seat, and the two little ones in the trunk. 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. She was tucked up in bed and presumably killed while still asleep. Stolen Kia being chased by patrol in Mpls. 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. Over 1,300 alleged sightings were investigated, but all turned out to be false. Johnson's guilt was so much he ended up going to the authorities. It Might Now Be Time For Sarah To Grab The Prison Chefs Butcher Knife,Take Him Over To A Wall & Hold Him Hostage,By Holding It To His Throat & Demand That Her Arrest & Conviction Be Thrown Away,With Prejudice & That She Be Released From Prison,Right Now,Saying That She Did No Such Thing To Her Parents,While Also Saying That Either Judge Richard Bevan Comes Right Over,Throws Away Her Arrest & Conviction,With Prejudice & Grants Her Release From Prison,Right Now Or Otherwise,She Will Slice The Chef,With His Own Butcher Knife. and its not this Christopher character. 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. 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. At the time of the interview, the murder weapon, Shearings .22 caliber rifle, hung on the wall of the family home. of both murders. 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. Initially, it was believed that this may have been a murder-suicide. However, by the following day, investigators announced that they had ruled both deaths as homicide. They were promptly "obliterated" when other vehicles poured into the farmyard. Hes always been such a good boy. He came to the door of the cabin to tell Shearing not to be alarmed. On the 16th of March, 2005, Sarah Marie Johnson was found guilty Copyright 2019 by Arcadia Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. They left the cabin after they were nearly discovered. 1: On April 10th, 1933, the small town of Harris, Minnesota was shocked to see the Johnson family's farmhouse burning down. Tuesday's post-conviction. 26 The Otero Family Murders Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Hes always been such a good boy. Leibel found them next to a second set, JJ, for 13-year-old Janet Johnson. To the police, it was clear that the 40-year-old landlord had been killed by his tenant Arne Cheyenne Johnson . 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. I have a hard time believing all this and I cant say anything right now because it wouldnt be fair to Dave.. Thats a very dangerous girl. 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 17-year-old disappeared one. Dear Jack, Sorry but you are an illiterate idiot. Where: Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, 5760 Portland Av. 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. It would have been quite a coincidence that the house just happened to go up in flames at precisely that moment of desperation.". THE MONSTER FROM WELLS GRAY PARK - Dying Words 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. What's the story behind Minneapolis' smaller houses with huge front yards? AN ACCUSED killer was "hiding in plain sight" for years after he allegedly murdered a young woman decades ago then befriended her family in the nearly 30 years since. Clifton triple homicide one of many Spartanburg County cold cases Johnson is the author of the non-fiction book, Flagstaff's Walkup Family Murders: A Shocking 1937 Tragedy, set to publish Monday. The Johnsons and Bentleys were last heard from on August 6th, 1982. 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.. In the back seat were the incinerated remains of the four adults and, in the trunk, were the two girls.