Brayden Bushby gets day parole in Barbara Kentner trailer hitch death in Thunder Bay after 1st one was revoked

WARNING: This story contains details of violence against Indigenous women, as well as references to racist beliefs and behaviours.

The man convicted of manslaughter in the 2017 death of Barbara Kentner in Thunder Bay, Ont., has been granted day parole again.

Kentner, a member of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, died from medical complications in the months after being struck by a trailer hitch thrown at her from a moving vehicle. The 34-year-old, whose death made national headlines, is remembered as a loving mother, sister, cousin and aunt.

On Dec. 5, Brayden Bushby was granted day parole for six months to a community-based residential facility, depending on the availability of a bed, the Parole Board of Canada said in its decision released to CBC News in an email Monday. The decision comes after his day parole, granted in August 2023, was revoked in July 2024, with the board saying he violated various conditions.

CBC is working to confirm if Bushby has been accepted into a residential facility.

During Bushby's trial, court was told he could be heard laughing and calling out that he “got one” after striking Kentner. He was sentenced in June 2021 to eight years in prison. Due to time already served, his sentence was reduced to seven years and 11 months.

In revoking his first day parole, the board said he'd breached several conditions, including allegedly being involved in incidents of drinking and driving, theft and associating with people he wasn't allowed to. 

The board also said that while he was on day parole, a Confederate flag was tattooed on Bushby's chest. It said the symbol is “widely considered to be associated with racist ideologies,” and “demonstrates little insight" into Bushby's actions regarding the link to his offence and “the beliefs associated with this type of flag.”

After his day parole was revoked, Bushby returned to a correctional institution. In August 2025, the parole board said he was referred to work with a Black offender liaison officer after being observed on video surveillance “cutting a swastika into the institutional lawn.”

“You deny having any racist beliefs, reporting that your actions have been related to ignorance rather than hate,” the board reported it said to Bushby.

Bushby, who turns 27 this month and has two children, is still being denied full parole.

“The board finds that while concerns remain about your non-compliance and possibly racist behaviours, your low-risk assessment and your plans for a supported and supervised release outweigh these concerns,” the Dec. 5 decision says.

CBC News has reached out to Kentner’s family for comment on Bushby’s release and is awaiting a response. 

As part of his second day parole decision, Bushby must return at night to the residential facility where he's accepted. He must also obey conditions including not consuming alcohol or drugs, abiding by a curfew, reporting any new relationships to his parole supervisor and not contacting Kentner’s immediate family members.