A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. However, he never came back from his meeting alive. Markesteyn specifically cited poor communication between social services officials, who worked on the presumption of Turner's innocence throughout the case and became more concerned for her welfare than for Zachary's. But what, exactly, were the tragic events that led to the passage of Zacharys Bill? Turner posted bail with help from her psychiatrist, John Doucet, a former co-worker from Memorial University. The following morning, Bagby's body was found in a day-use parking lot at Keystone State Park in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. On November 6, Andrew's body was discovered in a park near his residence in Latrobe, PA. Parents Kate and David Bagby's story of identifying Andrew's body is devastating. These events fuel the Bagbys crusade to reform Canadian bail laws to deny bail to accused murderers awaiting trial. Curated newsletters for curious minds. Yes,they were innocent as well, but I feel it takes a big person to rise abouve it all and not harbour animosity towards those people. Along the way, he learned how vast the reaches of his friends influence were. In October 2001, Turner obtained a permit to buy a firearm and purchased a Phoenix Arms HP22 handgun and .22 ammunition, which she used during firearms lessons. [7] By Turner's account, she visited Bagby's residence in Syracuse seven times while he visited her once in Sac City. On November 4, 2006, Dr. Andrew Bagby broke up with his girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner. When I read true crime, I like to see more back story of the people involved. Its heartbreaking, said Kate, who recalls last seeing Zachary the evening before he was killed. Infuriated, Bagby broke up with her, and she boarded a plane back to Iowa. It didnt take long before the relationship began to sour, and the couple appeared to be drifting apart. Thats Kates position, David Bagby said of the notion they will one day see Andrew and Zachary. It was finally signed into law by Governor-General David Johnston on 16 December 2010. Hed be about to enter senior high and might be planning his future. However, in 2003a month to the day after Zacharys first birthdayTurner drugged both herself and her son and jumped from a wharf into the Atlantic Ocean in a tragic murder-suicide. We just want as many people as possible to know this story, the documentary, for the practical reasons in my fantasies, I suppose some judge, some place, actually gets it and denies bail to somebody who could kill again. David Bagby. Andrew was found dead Nov. 5, 2001 in a state park just outside Latrobe, PA, where he was a resident in the local hospitals family medicine programme. While she was serving her medical residency, her supervising physician, who would later describe her as a manipulative, guiltless psychopath, said that she frequently became hostile, yelling, crying, and accusing me of treating her unfairly.. [2]:85 During this period, she resumed a previous relationship with a fisherman from Corner Brook. Turner was rushed to a hospital, where she received a gastric lavage. Coverage from the 2023 Canada Winter Games, VIDEO: Your daily elite-sports highlight package, Making Canada Better: Atlantic Canadians striving for change, 2023 SaltWire Network. Kate Bagby feels her son was too trusting to agree to meet Turner at the park the day he was killed. After Zacharys death, the Bagbys began a quest to have Canadas bail laws changed. After the child was born the clearly mentally-ill mother wrecked havok on the grandparents lives. And Im blessed to have David and quite frankly David is blessed to have me, said Kate. I became very emotional with this horrifying tale of injustice. In 1999, while he was studying at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Bagby began dating Shirley Turner. The result is one of the saddest movies of all time (even the trailer will make you weep) and one of the most disturbing documentaries ever, so grab a box of tissues and read on to relive some of themost compelling aspects of Dear Zachary. While battling the extremely long court system in Canada, they did all they could to keep things civil between themselves and the accused murderer of their son. It's just as heartbreaking as the documentary "Dear Zachary", which I HIGHLY recommend watching. The ending was so shocking, I was screaming with David Bagby That bitch! A patient of the clinic refused to return after an encounter with Turner. A week after Andrew Bagbys murder, while American police were building a case against her, Turner fled to her native Canada. Then, in August 2003, Shirley killed herself and the one-year-old Zachary by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. David and Kathleen Bagby, the parents of murdered Latrobe doctor Andrew Bagby, are pleased with how quickly a recent push for bail reform in Canada has gained ground since their grandson was killed in 2003. They still have friends in the province, people Kate said they wouldnt have survived without. "[17], David Bagby penned a book about the case, Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss, which was published in 2007.[18]. Sharing voices. I wanted to read this book because I saw a snippet on MSNBC or one of those late night shows, (about the last 7-10 minutes of the show) that was actually the television version of what had taken place back in 2001. I was truly shocked when I watched it. They were somewhat successful with the passing of Bill C-464 in December 2010 with the added clause that bail could be denied if it was deemed necessary for the protection of anyone under the age of 18. Zacharys arrival pierced the hatred toward Turner that flooded the Bagbys lives after they lost their only son. Its a day the couple would most likely prefer to spend quietly, avoiding the phone. On 3 November 2001, Turner confessed that she had been lying about her pregnancy in an effort to remain with Bagby permanently. Still grieving the death of their son, the Bagbys moved to Newfoundland and fought for custody of Zachary. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}473050N 525945W / 47.513769N 52.995733W / 47.513769; -52.995733. Our 100 journalists strive to inform and improve our East Coast communities by delivering impartial, high-impact, local journalism that provokes thought and action. Sep 2022 - Present6 months. Turner followed the man to Pennsylvania, leaving threatening voicemails over the following year and making unannounced visits to his apartment. Society as a whole should take the lessons derived from this book and just pray the same tragedy never befalls their own family. We want this story in as many heads as possible because we want people as upset and angry as we are, David Bagby said. "There's no point in going on," David saidof their logic at the time. In the fall of 2001, Bagby moved to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and began his residency at a family practice under the supervision of T. Clark Simpson. In mid-December, the Bagbys talked to The Western Star about the rerelease of the documentary, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, by Kurt Kuenne. David Bagby wrote a book, "Dance With the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss," in 2007; a documentary film, "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father" was made by Andrew's longtime friend Kurt Kuenne in 2008, with the Bagbys' participation. We were done, Kate Bagby said, finishing her husbands thought, a quirk of their relationship that became apparent during a several-hour recount of how their lives spiraled out of control after that phone call from police. In October 2006, Winnipeg-based coroner Peter Markesteyn released the Turner Review and Investigation, which concluded that Zachary's death was preventable and criticised Newfoundland and Labrador's social services system for failing to protect the child from his mother, stating, "Nowhere did I find any ongoing assessment of the safety needs of the children." They also went to Ottawa to push the case for Bill C-464, which had been introduced by then Liberal MP Scott Andrews, at a committee hearing. But this project brought a lot of things into perspective. Released in 2008, the filmmakes the cut as one ofthe greatest documentaries of all time. The organizations that named it one of the best films of 2008 included: Time Out Chicago, The Oregonian, the Times Herald-Record, Slant Magazine, and WGN Radio Chicago. Condensing the saga into a neat, 90-minute package and parting with footage of Andrews friends and family that he had become so attached to was the most difficult part of the project, Kuenne said. I have to be honest, I've stopped reading this at 27%. David Bagby wrote a book, Dance With the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss, in 2007; a documentary film, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father was made by Andrews longtime friend Kurt Kuenne in 2008, with the Bagbys participation. coroners office, who informed them of their sons death. [11] She then drove with Zachary to nearby Conception Bay South, where the man she had met at the bar lived. Although it's hard to watch, it's a must-see. David Bagby wrote Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss, a best-seller in Canada in 2007, about his family's ordeal. On 12 November 2001, Turner abandoned her residence in Council Bluffs and flew to Toronto, eventually resettling in St. John's with her oldest son. She showed up at his house, across the street from the practice where he was serving his residency. The film also received the Special Jury and Audience Awards at the Cinequest Film Festival, was named an Audience Favorite at Hot Docs, received the Audience Awards at the St. Louis International Film Festival and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, and was named Best Documentary at the Orlando Film Festival. While that change felt good, David wanted more. It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. Choosing Bagby as his best man was one of the easiest decisions Oetinger ever made, he said. The lot number on a box of condoms found in Turner's Council Bluffs apartment matched a box purchased by Bagby in Latrobe on the night of the break-up. The documentary began as a project intended to honor the memory of Kuennes childhood friend Andrew Bagby, who had been murdered in 2001. The other, their grandson, Zachary Turner. drowning of his grandson at the hands of the same woman isnt a A judge called Andrews murder a vicious crime, but did not consider Turner a risk to others. Scott Andrews, the MP who introduced the bill, said that he hoped it would give the Bagbys some sense that someone has heard their cries, and show that Canada would change the law to make sure something this tragic will never happen again.. Cataloging the most poignantDear Zachary moments may seem like a fool's errand, but to do so is to engage directly with the documentary's most troubling content. short story. This is an amazing true story that waswell, not conveyed with the same fiery delivery seen in the film "Dear Zachary".