THUNDER BAY – The man convicted of manslaughter for throwing a metal trailer hitch from a moving vehicle at two Indigenous women that ultimately resulted in the death of 33-year-old Barbara Kentner has had his day parole revoked.
In a decision from a hearing held on July 23, the Parole Board of Canada says Brayden Bushby’s risk to the community has become unmanageable.
Bushby is currently serving an eight-year sentence after being convicted on the charge of manslaughter in December 2020 in connection with Kentner’s death.
Evidence presented at the trial showed that on the night of Jan. 29, 2017, Bushby threw a metal trailer hitch from a moving vehicle at Kentner and her sister who were walking on the sidewalk in the Cameron Street area.
The trailer hitch struck Kentner in the abdomen and the injuries she sustained resulted in her death five months later in July 2017.
Bushby was first granted day parole in the community in September 2023 for six months, which was extended by an additional six months in February.
According to the Parole Board of Canada’s decision, while on day parole Bushby violated several of his conditions, including not abstaining from alcohol. It was noted that Bushby was heavily intoxicated the night he threw the trailer hitch at Kentner.
While on day parole Bushby was also involved in a motor vehicle collision and charged under the Highway Traffic Act, was pulled over by police and failed a breathalyzer test, and was in the company of a woman he was not to have contact with under the direction of his case management team.
The Parole Board also noted that while on day parole, Bushby had a tattoo of a Confederate flag done on his chest, though he claims to have not known what the tattoo was until it was completed.
“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 Parole Board of Canada decision reads.
Bushby’s community parole officer also informed the Parole Board that he has demonstrated a “lack of engagement and that interventions put in place were not accepted and that [his] attitude may have interfered.”
When Bushby was confronted with concerns regarding his behaviour by the Parole Board, they noted he: “presented with a concerning apathetic attitude,” adding that he lacks appreciation for the: “seriousness of your position as someone who is serving a sentence for Manslaughter conditionally in the community while on day parole.”
“Your actions and attitude while in the community are found to be very concerning to the Board,” the decision continues. “Therefore the Board is satisfied that your risk in the community did become unmanageable and that your actions were within your own control. As such, the Board revokes your day parole.”
