Brayden Bushby, left, departs the courthouse with his mother after his sentencing hearing after being found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Barbara Kentner, in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Feb. 17, 2021.DAVID JACKSON/The Canadian Press
An Ontario man convicted of manslaughter for throwing a trailer hitch at an Indigenous woman, ultimately killing her, has had his day parole revoked and is back in jail after he was found to have breached several conditions.
Parole Board of Canada documents dated July 23 show that the day parole of 25-year-old Brayden Bushby, who was intoxicated at the time of the 2017 incident that led to Barbara Kentner’s death, was suspended because he’d been drinking. The decision, released Tuesday, followed a hearing in which Mr. Bushby’s parole supervisor recommended that he go back to prison.
“You breached the condition not to consume alcohol which was a direct contributing factor in your manslaughter conviction which resulted in the death of a female,” the PBC said in a report.
In Mr. Bushby’s 2021 trial, the Crown prosecutor told the court that there wasn’t evidence to prove he was biased toward Indigenous people. But the PBC’s report says Mr. Bushby had acquired a new tattoo of the Confederate flag, widely considered to be associated with racist ideologies.
“When asking why you would have a Confederate tattoo completed on your chest while on day parole, you believed this question to be irrelevant, yet this response to the board demonstrates little insight into your actions regarding the link to your offence and the beliefs associated with this type of flag,” the report says.
Mr. Bushby was found guilty of manslaughter in 34-year-old Ms. Kentner’s death. In January, 2017, he was a passenger in a vehicle when he hurled a trailer hitch at her and her sister, Melissa, who were walking on the street in Thunder Bay. Ms. Kentner was hit in the abdomen and required emergency surgery for a ruptured bowel. She died six months later from bronchopneumonia and acute chronic peritonitis as a result of the blunt force trauma.
Mr. Bushby’s trial highlighted a history of fear and violence experienced by Indigenous people in Thunder Bay. The Crown prosecutor in the case, who had been seeking a sentence of eight to 12 years, told the proceedings that it is not uncommon in the Northern Ontario city for Indigenous people to have items thrown at them, and that the impact of Mr. Bushby’s actions flowed from that history.
Mr. Bushby was sentenced to eight years in prison in June, 2021, and granted day parole in August, 2023, which was extended this past January. His day parole conditions included not consuming or purchasing alcohol and not going into establishments where alcohol is sold. His initial release was positive, the PBC said, and he was living with his mother, attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and had employment.
But, while on day parole, Mr. Bushby failed a breathalyzer test in April when pulled over and is a suspect in a separate investigation involving a stolen vehicle, the PBC’s report says. He was also charged under the Highway Traffic Act in March for failing to remain at the scene of a motor vehicle collision. Mr. Bushby further failed to report his relationship with a woman who is known to police for drug involvement.
“You appear to lack appreciation for the seriousness of your position as someone who is serving a sentence for manslaughter conditionally in the community while on day parole,” the report says.
“I’m glad he’s back in jail,” Melissa Kentner said in a Facebook message to The Globe and Mail on Wednesday.
A lawyer for Mr. Bushby could not be reached for comment.