Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Walmart, DIGITAL to reconsider getting some help with that. It was like Andrew died and then was reborn for a second chance. The apparent culprit was a woman named Shirley Turner, whom Bagby had dated but had broken up with on November 4th, in Latrobe, just before putting her on a plane to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she lived at the time. I'm absolutely sure. That's what Kurt does, he's an independent filmmaker. And he was crying, so I went into the ladies room and sat there, KATE: Made her very angry. Bagbys wondered if there might ever be an extradition hearing. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) His parents don't even know, do they? After the pregnancy came to light, the film became a way to introduce Zachary to his father. Ensure local journalism stays in your community by purchasing a membership today. April 14, 2009: They quit their jobs and moved from California to Newfoundland. In the early years, that included David writing a book, Dance With the Devil, about his sons and grandsons murders, and Kuennes documentary. I got to go to the trial. MORRISON: But then she claimed she couldn't find it. In the end, she died, but love did not. Mr. SHEARS: When we woke up in the morning, realized they weren't there. His medical studies in Newfoundland were complete. People in the audience were literally weeping during the post-screening Q&A." KATE: Ah, it was wonderful. Why would she say that if he wasn't? January 28, 2008: You know what, when Andrew didn't show up at 7:30, I knew something was very wrong. MORRISON: As Kurt tracked down Andrew's friends for the documentary he was making, he discovered that not a one had anything favorable to say about Shirley. 1 Photo. Mr. BAGBY: We first got to see him personally in family court. Andrew, of all people, seemed to have no enemies at all. MORRISON: And then, in the spring of 1995, Andrew found someone, a Newfoundlander, also a doctor in training, a woman named Shirley Turner. A judge called Andrews murder a vicious crime, but did not consider Turner a risk to others. Lying on my shoulder and looking up at me as if to say, Yes Nan, Im here.. Also, today MP Scott Andrews of Newfoundland introduced a bill in Parliament for its first reading that proposes a modification to Canada's bail code that would justify detention in custody for a suspect who is a potential danger to their own minor children. Oh, my God. Woman #9: to make that journey was awful. dropping Shirley and their grandboy off at her son T.J.'s home (Photo of Zachary sleeping in car seat; streets passing), KATE: She said, `Wake up, Zachary and say goodbye to your grandparents.'. The next, hearing in the extradition process was set for September, at which time they. If Shirley, Turner had her way, they wouldn't have met Zachary at all, claiming she didn't. You will laugh, you will smile, you will cry, and you might even want to stand up and shout at the screen. (Photo of David and Kate; airplane; lake and coast), MORRISON: But here's the thing. Oh my god. There won't be any question about, whether she can hurt him. We send a huge thanks to MP Scott Andrews, his assistant Ken Carter, MP Peter Stoffer, Senator Tommy Banks, his assistant Thrse Gauthier, Gord McIntosh and all those in Parliament who have seen across party lines and supported this bill to honor Andrew & Zachary and help prevent a recurrence of our story. If she had her way, we would not have had any visitation at, MORRISON: Coming up, fighting not just to see their grandson, but. He said, `Well, it's 4:30 now. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. It would be kind of upsetting, I guess, to let your son spend time. Curated newsletters for curious minds. I was like, `Oh, OK, yeah.' I got to put on the record the fact that I would like a much stronger bill, said David. substance to it. Shirley Turner had walked out to the end, of a pier with tiny Zachary strapped to her body with a sweater, then jumped, into the ocean. So he came straight for me. Mr. BAGBY: What are you going to say that will MORRISON: And find something she did, going so far as telling, them that they had some anger issues which needed to be addressed by a, (Photo of Shirley; photo of Kate and David), Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) There has been, I guess, a lot of, uncomfortable feeling on both our parts. As one friend said, Hes like the blessing Andrew left behind. It was for Zachary that Andrews parents retired, cashed in all their savings and moved from their lifelong home in Pennsylvania to Newfoundland, where Shirley Jane Turner lived. I had lovely family. How the fuck do you live like that? By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This is the kind of couple, themselves beloved by hundreds, that produces the kind of son who is beloved by hundreds. This film will be one of the best you're likely to see this year." He was in, Mr. SHEARS: I would cook supper sometimes when she wasn't around. (Driving through rainy street; correctional facility sign; Andrew; Kurt, Unidentified Woman #8: They would drive two hours to the jail. Go away.'. He said, `The psychotic bitch. A court mandate allowed David and Kate Bagby to spend time, with their grandson, babysitting, even sharing in joint activities with. American authorities asked Canadian, authorities to send her back to the US, which would require an extradition, hearing. You dont leave it behind. GARDNER: (Audio recording) Is this Dr. Turner? It brings its own special brand of. Imagine it. 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. -, "It's Kate and David Bagby who are the moral center of this film. Very, very serious. You can, just--there's nothing. The only thing about his life that didn't make sense to some friends and family was his relationship with that doctor from Newfoundland, the one he'd started dating when going to medical school there. How do you represent the fact that when you see a crime coming from a mile away you still cant do anything to stop it? They might as well have sent a taxi to her to help take him out and drown him. Unidentified Woman #12: We won't forget their son. I think they just poured all of their love and, MORRISON: A week after Kurt's visit, Zachary turned one. I'm just curious Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Yeah, and I wanted to know for safety. get a chance to have some of Andrew again. That child was Zachary, to whom the film is addressed. Corporal GARDNER: (Audio recording) Yeah, Dr. Turner, I'm Corporal Gardner with the Pennsylvania State Police. Djing. Wait, thats not true, Sophocles came up with it when he wrote Oedipus Rex about a king who unwittingly fulfills a prophecy that foretold he would kill his father and marry his mother, and then pokes out his own eyes because hes in despair and you cant outrun destiny. Turner shot Bagby two days after he broke up with her at a Pennsylvania airport as she was set to fly back to Iowa. get in there, if that's what she demanded. Just from that, conversation, you could kind of get the sense that she didn't want Zachary, MORRISON: And for the Bagbys, Shirley issued what sounded somehow. Nobody drives 16 hours after you've just broken up with them.' It's said there's nothing worse than the death of your child, and this film drives that point home harder and with the utmost care and precision." Unidentified Man #22: We will develop policy specific to children. Around 11:30 PM Shirley came downstairs, asking to borrow T.J.'s car. Well never understand how anybody can ignore the fact that murderers are dangerous, he said. If you didnt realize the importance of that, Kuenne mutes the film to let you process it. If nothing else is accomplished with this film, it will absolutely attach you to the too-short life that was Andrew Bagby's, and you're going to be sad that you didn't get a chance to know him -- but glad all the same that you know ABOUT him now." It didn't clue in, MORRISON: T.J. says while he was touched that she'd shown up at, the hospital, he was also a little surprised. MORRISON: The sea at midnight was endless black. Jackson, Kentucky. Wow." Read the DocuWeek Q&A with writer/director/composer Kurt Kuenne HERE. kate-and-david-bagby-now-pdf 2/27 Downloaded from thesource2.metro.net on July 22, 2022 by guest the recent London bombings to Law and Order type crimes that make the news only to be replaced by another name.As such, more people are left with the aftermath of dealing with the violent death of a loved one. The psychotic bitch.) The bullets in Bagbys body were of the same type that Turner had used at a shooting range shortly before, in a gun she had recently purchased. thing, because up until Andrew was murdered, I was a Pollyanna. And he's like, `I'm not looking for anything serious. Troutman Funeral Home is assisting the Bagby family. 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS. (Photo of Shirley, Kate and Zachary; photo of Shirley, David and Zachary; Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Well, I just want your word that I'm going to, know where he's at, like any babysitter, you know, if you're going to take him, anywhere, just say, `Shirley, we're going to run out and do this. Cpl. KATE: And she went over in the corner crying, and I gave him back. The strange allure of Robert Durst and The Jinx.. Shirley Turner had some startling news. don't have these meltdowns and emotional scenes. Because she didnt know love either. She turns to talking of her son and calls him Gods blessing. Inspired by his mother's tales of interesting medical cases and wonderful patients, Andrew decided he would be a doctor. Cpl. He was such a good baby. Serious crime is rare in this country. KATE: You were always afraid that she was going to find something. If it looks like she's likely to go back, how is she going to behave? We thought of him as a hostage, said David. Sixteen years have passed but for the Bagbysthe story of the deaths of their only son and grandson resurfaces all the time. You know when you see pictures of some of your friends and then pictures of their parents as kids and they look identical? (David speaking to reporters; Kate speaking to reporters; David on radio show; "Dear Zachary" poster; Kurt editing video; photo of Andrew; photo of Zachary; Mr. KUENNE: I almost gave up making this film when you were, killed. And that's when she said, `He loves you, more than me. I was just gone. A review of Turner's and Zachary's deaths, released in 2006 by Winnipeg-based coroner Peter Markesteyn, concluded the provinces social services system failed Zachary and his death could have been prevented. in honor of his beloved friend Andrew, and then for Andrew's son, Zachary. decision. What do you want it Mr. BAGBY: Very seriously. MORRISON: In Kurt Kuenne's documentary, Clark Simpson, one of Andrew's close friends at the hospital, remembers that November morning just two weeks later when Shirley surprised Andrew again. Asked if he would have done anything different back then, David replies, kill Shirley Turner.. And Turner had said he was a, MORRISON: But there were some caveats. The other, their grandson, Zachary Turner. Unidentified Man #21: (Talking in group) I know. Did. This marks the first time in history an MP from Newfoundland has been able to get a private member's bill through Parliament; since 2001, 2,510 Private Member's Bills have been introduced in the House of Commons, but only 23 - less than 1% - have received Royal Assent. This is how Kuenne represents his emotion at hearing the news that the woman who killed his friend had also killed his friends son. MORRISON: What did you think that she would do, kill you? Mr. BAGBY: And part of Andrew's problem was, I think, he was just too nice to say, you know, `Get the hell out of my life. (Photo of Shirley; "Canada" on building; T.J. Shears walking), Mr. T.J. SHEARS: My mom was just like, `Oh, hey.' We. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) It's either in my closet or my bedroom. The reason we go through the lawyers is so that we. (Sea at night; photo of Shirley and Zachary; autopsy report; photo of man; photo of Shirley and Zachary; Zachary sleeping; David and Kate), Mr. BAGBY: Kate just quit. quiet. For one thing, Shirley, required the Bagbys to bring Zachary to visit her once a week in jail. All rights reserved. Mr. BAGBY: Oh, this ranks right up there. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) I was really upset when you took him today, because I feel like I did the day you saw him at Unified Family Court. KATE: I knew exactly what my son looked at before he died. She called trying to get Andrew when he was here doing a rotation here in California. DVD: Amazon | B&N David and Kate Bagby know all about the unlikely power of love funneled through rage. The International Film Music Critics also nominated his musical score for Best Documentary Score of 2008. And not just because its real. The Bagbys attended the hearing, of course, and, could not quite believe their ears when they heard the judge's ruling. Six-month-old Zachary was, returned to her. He travelled across the country, and to England, to collect these reminiscences, which reveal Bagby to be a caring physician and a beloved and charismatic goofball. They hadn't been identified, but it's obvious who they, MORRISON: He was right. I am a young director, producer, stage manager, communicator, and creative organizer for theatre and multimedia artistic endeavors. Is it OK? You were done. They told us that they'd found the body. helped convince me that she would not hurt Zachary. It was for custody of their grandchild who looked exactly like his father that they moved to the city of their sons killer. Creating stronger communities. Mr. SHEARS: She's kind of reliving a university life again. When Kate reached down to wipe one away, she accidentally knocked out the plug used to mask his facial wound. And now it's just. I sat there. Kuenne finished his documentary and dedicated it to the memories of both Bagby and Zachary. He laughs as he recalls images of Zachary running up and down a hall, saying that is a joy. If I, just kill her, Zachary will be safe. While that change felt good, David wanted more. We need each other, have each other to get through this.". Our 100 journalists strive to inform and improve our East Coast communities by delivering impartial, high-impact, local journalism that provokes thought and action. Dear Zachary had its Canadian premiere at the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto, where it was welcomed by a line down the street and around the block to get in. They began a drawn-out court battle to protect their grandson from the woman who had almost certainly murdered their son. (SPOILER WARNING: Do not watch this short until you have seen Dear Zachary. And when, after his first year at med school, Heather broke off the engagement, Andrew was crushed. MORRISON: Do you find yourself going back and playing that back in your mind? MORRISON: A couple of hours later, there was another knock at the, Mr. BAGBY: Told us what happened. SCREAMS. David was a . But he was moved to honor his friend the best way he knew how, by making a film. would be the difference if one person weren't alive? 7:30 I'll be at your house.'. It also took 3rd place in the National Headliner Awards for Best Documentary of 2008, given by the Press Club of Atlantic City. MORRISON: You didn't seriously think of--I mean, you talk about this plan Mr. BAGBY: Absolutely. 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. MORRISON: What do you do about this? Bill C-464 when enacted will justify detention in custody for a person accused of a serious crime who is a potential danger to their own minor children. This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. Information on who and where to write can be found by going to the "Support Bail Reform" page. Its heartbreaking, said Kate, who recalls last seeing Zachary the evening before he was killed. At one point, one friend says that if he had one tenth of the people who cared about him half as much as they do about Bagby, he would be happy. The first time we had contact with her was over the phone. ', MORRISON: But they'd have to wait almost a month. Skewed imagery. MORRISON: When another of Andrew's best friends, Kurt Kuenne, heard about the murder, he also went into a tailspin. Mr. BAGBY: She told the court she was afraid we would harm the baby. Yeah, I mean, I can watch that for sure. Andrew came to St. John's. After Zacharys death, the Bagbys began a quest to have Canadas bail laws changed. Because this is foreshadowing. Dear Zachary recently won the Audience Award at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham, Alabama! Shirley. will not hurt Zachary, period. Simpson advised his friend to call the cops and to not under any circumstances meet Shirley Jane Turner alone. MORRISON: How'd you feel about having a much younger brother come, Mr. SHEARS: I thought it was great. On a shelf in the California home of David and Kate Bagby, sitting inconspicuously among some lovely china, are two urns. MORRISON: But as Kurt made his way around the globe, his tribute materialized into something far bigger, and much darker, than anyone could have imagined. When Kate reached down to wipe one away, she accidentally knocked out the plug used to mask his facial wound. And thank God. This is what that fucking bitch didnt know, David Bagby fumes towards the end of Dear Zachary. | Learn more about Tessa Bagby's work experience, education . Mr. BAGBY: That's one of the options, and that's the one we hoped for. Any reference to Turner as a flight risk, for instance, is accompanied by birdsong and pictures of flying pigeons. June 2, 2015 - June 2020. KATE: I thought, `Well, he's got to get out of this.'. MORRISON: Kurt and Andrew grew up together in Northern California, where the fledgling director gave Andrew starring roles in some of his earliest ventures. They are warm. This is the first example in this story of someone seeing something bad coming but not being able to stop it. Information on who and where to write can be found on the "Support Bail Reform" page. This is the kind of couple, themselves beloved by hundreds, that produces the kind of son who is beloved by hundreds. And as tragic as this story is, that is also where its consolation lies: that Shirley Jane Turner destroyed everything around her in an attempt to extinguish the love she was incapable of experiencing herself, and in the end she couldnt. Instead, the films dramatic nodes are scenes such as the one in which Bagbys parents, David and Kate, recall going to identify their sons body. Why don't you just take him?'. My TV-consumption habits for the past several months have been awash in murder, and Netflix knows itwhich is how, fresh from binge-watching Making a Murderer and hungry for more, I recently came across Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. This odd documentarywhich deals with the death of a young physician named Andrew Bagby, who was a childhood friend of the films director, Kurt Kuennemade a small splash when it was first released, in 2008, but its worth revisiting now, in the midst of the recent bonanza of true-crime hits. In the course of the next two yearsas Turners extradition process dragged on, as Bagbys parents moved from California to Newfoundland to fight for custody of the baby, and as the case eventually took an even more terrible turnthe film came to be about those events as well. -. Blood red screen. Did anyone have more friends than he? Dear Zachary will have its World Premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, January 17-25, 2008 in Park City, Utah! MORRISON: But she was allowed to go back to Newfoundland? Slamdance Film Festival book signing! MORRISON: Shirley Turner, also a doctor in training, was 12 years older than Andrew, twice divorced, a mother of three. Screening next at DocuWeek, the International Documentary Association's Theatrical Documentary Showcase. It turns out Shirley owned a .22 caliber handgun, which she acquired while living in Iowa. MORRISON: Was it reasonable for the court to trust her? But that didn't erase their unease, or a remarkable feeling, (Shirley and Zachary at birthday party; David), Mr. BAGBY: I considered killing her myself, seriously considered it. A Kate Bagby is an Advisory Member at Mothers Against Murder based in Los Altos, California. news about his mother and baby brother, and was slammed with instant blowback. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) This is Shirley Turner, yes. HEATHER: I knew he'd been struggling with me moving on and dating other people. One of the first to meet Zachary was, (Photo of Zachary Turner; wedding dance; photo of Shirley and Zachary; photo. See details above! And thus the decision from which all else followed. You dont get over it. Then the questioner got choked up.the best thing I've seen in Austin (at SXSW)." Parents Kate and David Bagby's story of identifying Andrew's body is devastating. Dear Zachary has been acquired for theatrical release and DVD distribution by the newly formed Oscilloscope Pictures, and will be released in New York on October 31st, and in Los Angeles and Chicago on November 7th. In the, tribute documentary their son's best friend Kurt Kuenne was making to someday, give Zachary, the Bagbys' friends recount how difficult it was for David and. Also foreshadowing is how long it takes Andrews parents, Kate and David, to wade through various levels of bureaucracy to confirm his death. I said, `Andrew,' I said, `be serious. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. They are selfless. MORRISON: The girl was Heather, also an aspiring doctor. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) (Unintelligible) Hi, sweetheart. In this way, Dear Zachary inverts the usual way of telling murder stories. When police interviewed the hospital staff Mr. SIMPSON: I said, `Well, you don't have to look far.' I mean, we would never, disagree with her or fight with her about anything unless there was real. keep him safe, which they feared was about to become even more difficult. Mommy misses you. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father sounds like the kind of movie I would never want to see, which is why it took me so long to actually see it. And that was midafternoon. "We had to do something.. She has to veer away from the image and instead see him as a living being. "In a tragic ending, we bring new beginnings with bail reform so that no other family will have to go through the devastation that Kate and David have gone through," Andrews said. We. This is the attention thing I was talking about. prayed that his murderer, whoever it was, would be swiftly brought to justice. report that concluded the child protection system failed Zachary Turner. And I, wanted to scream, `My son's life is on hold forever, and you have the audacity, to apologize to this accused murderer?' They are warm. A 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition Blu-Ray and DVD with special artwork and packaging is available only from Oscilloscope Laboratories at the link below. One of those forgettable pieces of solipsistic pseudo-art that is essentially just a scrapbook that was released to the public and then everyone just said it was good because no one wanted to hurt anyones feelings. HEATHER: You are the most amazing, strongest people I've ever. 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.