Here's Why 'Dear Zachary' Is The Most Upsetting Documentary Ever Made, Dear Zachary:A Letter to a Son About His Father, Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father. They also have Andrews friends, like Kuenne, who remain in their current lives and with whom they can talk about Andrew. Than they are able to see a light at the end of the tunnel when she announces she is pregnant with Andrew Bagby's child, to be named Zachary. Lying on my shoulder and looking up at me as if to say, Yes Nan, Im here.. Not only do you get the whole story of how the justice system failed, but Dave goes on to explain how it should be fixed. Still grieving the death of their son, the Bagbys moved to Newfoundland and fought for custody of Zachary. Someone once said, "You can't take life too serious, you'll never get out alive!" Having a . By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. You dont get over it. And Im blessed to have David and quite frankly David is blessed to have me, said Kate. David expresses his intense rage and his intense patience with Turner superbly. He would also be able to one day appreciate Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, a documentary about Andrew Bagby that was released today on DVD. [20] The Film Vault included the film on their list of the "Top 5 Good Movies You Never Want to See Again". What's doubly upsetting about this is the way director KurtKuenne sets their story to home movies of Andrew as a young boy. A tragedy that could have been prevented. "There's no point in going on," David saidof their logic at the time. and allowed to play Russian Roulette with her baby's and other people's lives is totally ludacris. [2]:84, Upon becoming pregnant, Turner married a long-time boyfriend during Memorial University's 1981 winter recess. Our dreams for your future are all lost, but our love endures and we await reunion with you and your Dad, ends the in memoriam from Grandma and Grandpa Bagby recognizing the anniversary of the Zacharys 2003 murder. After Zachary's birth on 18 July 2002, Turner initially refused to allow David and Kathleen Bagby to see their grandson, fearing they would kidnap him. This is the most moving and incredibly outrageous true story I've ever heard. Over the course of making Dear Zachary, Kuenne met dozens of other people whose lives had been similarly touched by Andrew Bagby. Knowing his grandson was in danger in the care of Turner, who repeatedly established how unfit she was to be a mother, David lay in bed at night thinking of what he could do to save the child. David and Kate Bagby know all about the unlikely power of love funneled through rage. However, in January 2003 Justice Welsh again released her, arguing that the murder "was not directed at the public at large" and that Turner was presumed to be innocent.[10]. It gets a bit bogged down in legal tedium. Months later, Shirley Turners body washed up on a St. Johns beach alongside the body of her son. He has clearly done his research of the law and proposes many ways that this type of tragic event could be prevented in the future. Those new to the group are almost in a stupor as they enter the room. The Bagbys still hold a bitterness when they talk about how they were failed by a legal system that let Turner out on bail and allowed her to retain custody of Zachary. On Aug. 18, 2003, while awaiting extradition to the U.S. on a charge of murdering Andrew, Turner jumped into the waters of Conception Bay South with her 13-month-old son strapped to her in a murder-suicide. Promotional still from "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father" via Oscilloscope Laboratories. I have to be honest, I've stopped reading this at 27%. After such wanton acts of cruelty that tore apart a family and a community, it is easy to question whether Shirley Turner was evil; indeed, many of her acts throughout her life, especially as events neared their conclusion, seem to have been . Andrew was 28 years old at the time of death. These incidents left the supervising physician with the impression that: I felt I was being manipulated whenever I spoke with Shirley Turner. We dont do anything related to murder anymore, he said. In the wake of the shocking turn of events, Andrews father, David Bagby, wrote a true crime memoir that is described as a eulogy for a dead son, an elegy for lives cut tragically short, and a castigation of a broken system.. In March 1996, Turner began a relationship with a St. John's resident, Miles Doucet, who was thirteen years her junior. After helping Kurt Kuene with his documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter from a father to his Son I was honored that David Bagby sent me his book as a thank you. We couldnt actually believe shed (harm Zachary), but we consciously feared she could do that, he said. The documentary started out as an homage to a murdered friendbut another tragedy was not far behind. But this project brought a lot of things into perspective. In November 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby, 28, was discovered in a Pennsylvania park by a homeless man looking for recyclables, shot multiple times. I got to put on the record the fact that I would like a much stronger bill, said David. Turners work took her to Iowa, while Bagby served out medical residencies in New York and Pennsylvania. I'm rarely the kind of gal that cries during movies or books and I was sobbing. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [2]:87 She also had an abortion that July, but the father was not known. Canadian officials also released her on bail even though she was detained as the culpable suspect in the case. It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. Then, in August 2003, Shirley killed herself and the one-year-old Zachary by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. Being from Newfoundland,I was well aware of the happenings in this book as they were happening. For readers interested in the emotional impact of violent crime, Dance with the Devil is a vulnerable, devastating book that cannot be missed. I dont understand how that can be ignored.. Bagby agreed to talk with her about the pregnancy during a wedding that Bagby was scheduled to attend. In one of the film's many shocking turns,it's revealed Turner was pregnant with Andrew's child when she took his life, and much of the film follows the efforts of Andrew's parents, Kate and David Bagby, to gain custody of the young child, Zachary. In a later interview with an assessment officer at the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, the supervising physician, in hindsight, described Turner as "a manipulative, guiltless psychopath." I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Released in 2008, the filmmakes the cut as one ofthe greatest documentaries of all time. View the profiles of professionals named "David Bagby" on LinkedIn. Sharing voices. [19] The website Film School Rejects placed the film third in their "30 Best Films of the Decade" list. If such laws had been in place, Zachary Turner would be 6 years old and wrapping up first grade. 2023 SaltWire Network. As most true crime memoirs do, Dance with the Devil explains what the victims were like in life, and the profound effects that their deaths had on those left behind. Its a string of perplexing events that began Nov. 5, 2001, and still isnt over. We cant do that anymore, David Bagby said, explaining in part its because of their age. Turner alternately told her shooting instructor that her gun had been stolen. David Bagby has written such a poignant account of the sordid happenings and has brought both Andrew and Zachary alive on the pages. We did have him for a little while, she said. 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. John Skinner Properties Andrew had broken off the relationship, and at the time of his murder,Turnerwas living in Iowa, but visiting Pennsylvania regularly, where Andrew was a resident at a local hospital. Its good to see him again, hear his voice, he said of the images of Andrew. According to The New Yorker, the "heart of the [film's] narrative" centers around "Andrew Bagbys life and how horrible his death was for those who loved him.". On November 4, 2006, Dr. Andrew Bagby broke up with his girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner. For those who've asked how Kate & David Bagby are doing now, here's a lovely article from Diane Crocker at Newfoundland's The Western Star.. Most people do something useful. The third result is David Bagby age 20s in Santa Monica, CA in the Ocean Park neighborhood. The birth of Zachary didn'tend David's dark thoughts, however. While it can be difficult to wrap ones head around the senseless, preventable deaths of Andrew Bagby and his son, Zacharys Bill is intended to bring positive change out of the tragic situation. On Nov. 5, Kate, who is originally from England, pictures Turner sitting on top of a Guy Fawkes bonfire and her family all around it with fireworks. After a short stint in a women's facility during the attempted murder proceedings, Turner was released on $75,000 bail. During a 1999 residency at a family practice in St. John's, Turner's professionalism drew harsh criticism by her supervising physician, who stated she would become "quite hostile, yelling, crying, and accusing me of treating her unfairly." Later, a Derry resident reported having seen Bagby's Toyota Corolla parked next to Turner's RAV4 ten minutes after Bagby made his last phone call to Simpson and the Corolla parked alone the following morning. No one in my entire library system owns it either (30+ libraries), so I wound up having to get an interlibrary loan and have this book shipped to me from another state. On 3 November 2001, Turner confessed that she had been lying about her pregnancy in an effort to remain with Bagby permanently. I cried all the way reading this, and also while watching the documentary. Having watched the documentary about this case, I really needed to read this book. David and Kate Bagby channeled their grief & anguish into changing some Canadian laws. In November 1997, Turner confronted him in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and struck him in the jaw with her high-heeled shoe. This book was very well written, and straight to the point. When he broke up with her, he said that she called him incessantly, left threatening voicemails, struck him in the face, and followed him from Newfoundland to Pennsylvania, where she took a cocktail of over-the-counter drugs outside his apartment in an apparent suicide attempt. I cried with rage, almost like the Bagby's and I normally do not get emotional when it comes to true crime novels. However, he never came back from his meeting alive. A few months after Bagbys death, Turner gave birth to their son, whom she named Zachary. Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts. 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. We need each other, have each other to get through this, added David. This preference was made especially clear during Zachary's first birthday party at a St. John's McDonald's, after which Turner said to Kathleen, "He obviously loves you more than me, so why don't you take him? Unfortunately, it went out of print and is very expensive to purchase. 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. short story. True, heartbreaking story of a son's disastrous love relationship and the son his murderer bore. On several occasions, it was noted that Zachary had poor attachment to his mother and preferred the company of other adults, particularly his grandparents. [22] The Dr. Andrew Bagby and son Zachary Bursary Fund supports students at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.[23]. Andrew Bagby, who never knew Turner was pregnant, was the father. Bagbys family and friends later said that they were uncomfortable with the relationship, not merely due to the age difference and to Turners two prior divorces, from which she had three children, but because of Turners off-putting behavior. 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. We did not want to be here without Andrew, David Bagby said. The news that Turner was pregnant with Bagby's child turned the extradition case into one involving child custody, and subsequently led to a complicated legal saga. She even meant to implicate her brief lover by planting aused tampon and photos of herself and her child across his lawn in Connection Bay South before she didit. We need each other, have each other to get through this.". A well written memoir by a father who son was murdered by an ex-girlfriend that was pregnant with his son's child. But had Andrew not gone to medical school here and therefore never laid eyes on Turner, there are no guarantees he might have escaped his fate, Bagby said. That same year, Turner started dating Andrew Bagby. . On 10 July 2001, less than a year into her ten-year contract with Trimark, Turner left their Sac City clinic and moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she was hired by Alegent Health System of Omaha, Nebraska. David and Kate Bagby must have been saints to have had to tolerate personal dealings with their only child's murderess,and basically have to groval to her to even see their precious only-ever grandchild.Yet,they did whatever they could for the sake of Zachary.Most people (myself included) would have made away with Shirley Turner the first chance they got.Why should they have even been put in that insane situation in the first place? During her remedial second residency period in early 2000, Turner missed nine days of her three-month rotation and falsified clinical reports. We want this story in as many heads as possible because we want people as upset and angry as we are, David Bagby said. She showed up at his house, across the street from the practice where he was serving his residency. We invite . Between 1998 and 2000, she served as a resident physician at teaching hospitals across Newfoundland. When Turner visited him in Latrobe in late October 2001immediately after the last of her firearms lessons in Omahathe two frequently argued over his relationship with a new girlfriend. In the early morning of 5 November 2001, she confronted Bagby at his residence, located across the street from his practice. [19], Two scholarships have been established in tribute to Andrew David Bagby and his son. The film is partly composed of home movies Kuenne and Bagby shot together as teenagers in California, and features interviews with Bagby's parents, extended family, friends, classmates, and colleagues, both before and after Zachary's murder. If you're unfamiliar with Dear Zachary, it tells the story of Andrew Bagby, a 28-year-old doctor whose life was ended by his ex-loverShirleyJane Turner. Society as a whole should take the lessons derived from this book and just pray the same tragedy never befalls their own family. I thought it was just going to chronicle a murdered man's life, for his son to reflect back on when he was older - because his father was killed before he was born. I read on Netflix it's best you know nothing about the story, and that is so true. Those who have worked through some of the grief try to instil in them there is some kind of life after loss. When I read true crime, I like to see more back story of the people involved. Watsonville Rental The other, their grandson, Zachary Turner. The Bagbys moved their lives from Silicon Valley to Newfoundland to raise their grandson while Turner was in and out of police custody and up for extradition to the United States. Acting on statements by Simpson and others, the Pennsylvania State Police contacted Turner. In this brutally tragic true story a Father (David Bagby, author) and Mother deal with the slaying of their son by his ex-girlfriend. You have entered an incorrect email address! I truly commend the Bagby's commitment to exposing (and trying to bring about change) a corrupt judicial system, even in the midst of their tremendous loss. One contains the remains of their son, Dr. Andrew Bagby. "We had to do something.. After seeing the documentary about this case, "Dear Zachary," I was itching to get my hands on this book. A man searching for aluminum cans in Keystone State Park located near New Alexandria in southwest Pennsylvania where Bagby was a physician at the Latrobe Area Hospital found Andrew Bagby face down on blood stained gravel, covered with a thin layer of frost, early in the morning of Nov. 6, 2001. David Bagby has written such a poignant account of the sordid happenings and has brought both Andrew and Zachary alive on the pages. There was no way to stop Andrews murder, but there was no way to walk away from Zacharys body and just say hmm, okay, move on," said David. Maybe it's being told your son was taken from you and then, with no consolation, immediately asking questions as to why he was where he was when he passed? Related: 10 Eye-Opening True Crime Books by Mindhunter Author John Douglas. The pair planned to take care of the minutiae of dealing with a lost loved one, fly back to California and kill themselves. Birthday: September 25, 1973. Andrew Bagby had no enemies or so his friends and family thought. This sad tale tells how slowly justice moved and failed to protect an innocent year old child. Want more true crime? Turner killed herself and Zachary before she could be tried for murder. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Mrs. Kate Holland Bagby, age 101, of Flowery Branch entered into eternal rest with her heavenly father on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at her residence, following a short illness. [12], Turner's body was found on a beach by a vacationing couple, with Zachary's body discovered nearby. Its levelled off to the point where it is much easier than initially that horror of it at the beginning is almost unbearable, Bagby answers, patiently. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send". Archived Obituaries It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. Generated by Wordfence at Sat, 4 Mar 2023 4:46:47 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. Turner claimed that she was pregnant by the man, but no evidence was found showing this to be the case. The Bagbys, who recently marked their 50th wedding anniversary, say it sustained them for nearly a decade as they struggled to come to terms first with the 2001 slaying of their 28-year-old son, Dr. Andrew Bagby, and later with the murder of Andrew's son, 13 . Andrew Bagby Birthday and Date of Death. Andrew David Bagby was born on 25 September 1973. That woman then escapes to Canada while evidence against her is gathering, and then she has his baby while the extradition process drags on. This book just reinforces the obliviousness and callousness of " the system" towards victims and its sick preoccupation with criminals' rights. INFORMATION Contact Us Letter to the Editor Press Release Privacy Policy Terms of Service, NEWSLocal NewsBusinessCrimeSchoolsPolitics, SPORTS Sports News High School Sports Gavilan College, CALENDAR All Upcoming EventsToday's EventsSubmit an EventPromote Your Event, OBITUARIES