Day parole revoked for Brayden Bushby, man convicted of trailer hitch death of Barbara Kentner in Thunder Bay

The Parole Board of Canada has suspended the day parole of Brayden Bushby, who was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Barbara Kentner in Thunder Bay, Ont., seven years ago.

Kentner, of the Ojibway First Nation of Wabigoon Lake, died on July 4, 2017, from medical complications, months after she was struck by a trailer hitch. She was 34 — a mother, sister, cousin and aunt. Her death made national news in a country facing a crisis of violence against Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people.

Bushby was sentenced in June 2021 to eight years in prison. Due to time already served, that was reduced to seven years and 11 months. 

In 2023, Bushby was granted day parole with a number of conditions, a decision that shocked Kentner's family and people within the city's Indigenous community, and left them feeling the justice system had failed Kentner after her death. 

In a decision released Tuesday, the parole board said it revoked Bushby's day parole for several breaches of his conditions. Those breaches include incidents of alleged drinking and driving, allegations of theft and associating with people he wasn't allowed to. 

The board noted the victim impact statements from Kentner's family and community that speak to the serious trauma and devastation her death has had on them, as well as from Indigenous organizations noting how the death has impacted the community. 

Bushby was a passenger in a vehicle that was going along McKenzie Street on the city's south side during the early morning of Jan. 29, 2017. Kentner and her sister were walking down the residential street when the metal trailer hitch was thrown, striking Barbara in the abdomen.

The board's decision also noted a Confederate flag was tattooed on Bushby's chest while he was on parole, which "demonstrates little insight into your actions regarding the link to your offence and the beliefs associated with this type of flag."

"It was also found you have a new tattoo of a Confederate flag, which is widely considered to be associated with racist ideologies."

Bushby told the parole board he did not know what the tattoo artist was doing until it was complete, according to the decision, which noted he presented an "apathetic attitude" when he was presented with the concerns about his behaviour while on parole. 

"The circumstances of the suspension were well within your control and appear to be a continuation of a pattern of behaviour that has become increasingly more concerning in recent months," the board said. 

"Your [case management team] has lost confidence that you are willing or able to abide by the conditions of your day parole."