When I get to heaven, I want Andrew and Zachary to say well done mum and grandmum, Kate Bagby said. True, heartbreaking story of a son's disastrous love relationship and the son his murderer bore. Sharing voices. One of the best books that I have ever read. 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. Andrew David Bagby was born on 25 September 1973. In October 1993, a man boarding with Turner confided to his therapist that he had witnessed Turner physically and emotionally abusing two of her children. Months later, Shirley Turners body washed up on a St. Johns beach alongside the body of her son. That gave her a chance to do something useful for some people who needed it, said David. The support of their loved ones pulled them back from the edge, but the situation continued to get more twisted. Turner first purchased her prescription of lorazepam from a St. John's pharmacy. 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. [2]:80 In 1980, Turner enrolled at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, seeking to embark on a medical career. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father: Directed by Kurt Kuenne. CONTRIBUTED BY DAVID BAGBY Kurt Kuenne met Andrew Bagby in first grade and instantly the two formed a special bond that has never wavered in the 18 years since Bagby's death. In 1999, while he was studying at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Bagby began dating Shirley Turner. [2]:494 Turner drowned. Immortalized in the spellbinding documentary Dear Zachary, this angry, raw, and brutally honest memoir of murder and loss chronicles a systems failure to prevent the death of a child. Andrew Bagby, who never knew Turner was pregnant, was the father . There's no shortage of harrowing documentaries, but Dear Zachary:A Letter to a Son About His Fatheris one of the most intense. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Creating stronger communities. [14] According to filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Doucet later left Newfoundland and relocated elsewhere in Canada.[15]. David remembers uttering, "It's really him," and recalls how the two cried over the body, tears falling on to Andrew's face. Andrew Bagby or Bags as his friends call him was a man who amassed more friends than most during his 28 years. and allowed to play Russian Roulette with her baby's and other people's lives is totally ludacris. I cried all the way reading this, and also while watching the documentary. 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. By the time she was charged with first-degree murder,she had returned to St. John's and gave birth to Zachary in July 2002. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS. Andrews parents, David and Kathleen Bagby, had moved from the United States to Canada in an attempt to gain custody of their grandson in the wake of their sons murder. Though the Bagbys shied away from media attention during the legal battle, well talk to anybody with a microphone now, David Bagby said, hoping their actions will put political pressure on Canadian lawmakers to reform bail laws. Turner left her car parked near his home in the Kelligrews area of the town, with photographs of herself and Zachary, as well as a used tampon, on the front seat. Most people do something useful. Turners work took her to Iowa, while Bagby served out medical residencies in New York and Pennsylvania. Submit an Obituary, SPONSORED LINKS Central Coast Ace Hardware That woman then escapes to Canada while evidence against her is gathering, and then she has his baby while the extradition process drags on. There are things to do, he said, and they try to enjoy life as much as possible. "We just liked each other, and we liked doing a lot of the same stuff," Kuenne said recently from his Burbank, CA home. Our 100 journalists strive to inform and improve our East Coast communities by delivering impartial, high-impact, local journalism that provokes thought and action. Still grieving the death of their son, the Bagbys moved to Newfoundland and fought for custody of Zachary. She had also been accused of stalking an ex-boyfriend, a medical resident who, like Bagby, was over 10 years her junior. The following morning, Bagby's body was found in a day-use parking lot at Keystone State Park in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. We were just words dont quite do it, said David Bagby, he and his wife sitting opposite each other on the couch in their newly unpacked living room in northwest Gilroy. Bagby agreed to talk with her about the pregnancy during a wedding that Bagby was scheduled to attend. The memory of that visit is of a crying Zachary being taken away from them. Slain tot's grandparents welcome new bail law. However, he never came back from his meeting alive. 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. When I read true crime, I like to see more back story of the people involved. Just five months after Zacharys birth, Turner returned to jail, only to be released once again by the same judge, who argued that she didnt need to be held behind bars because the murder she was accused of was not directed at the public at large., Related: 12 Harrowing Books About Cults and Survival. Dance with the Devil is David Bagby's . While hes not religious and suggests no one knows the answer to that eternal question, he said it would be a wonderful thing to see Andrew and Zachary again. For readers interested in the emotional impact of violent crime, Dance with the Devil is a vulnerable, devastating book that cannot be missed. ItsaCheckmate. The man then broke off the relationship after learning from a friend about Turner's connection to Bagby's murder. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Andrew Bagby, who never knew Turner was pregnant, was the father. ", On 7 April 1999, Doucet found Turner lying semi-conscious outside of his apartment, having ingested a combined 65 milligrams of over-the-counter drugs in a suicide attempt. Those who have worked through some of the grief try to instil in them there is some kind of life after loss. On 4 July 2003, Turner met a young man at a bar in St. John's. But the story of his sons brutal murder and the subsequent 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. You will then receive an email that helps you regain access. We are lucky to be alive. Some months ago I watched the documentary, "Dear Zachery" on Netflix. However, after Turner took her own life as well as the life of1-year-old Zachary in 2003, Kuenne's focus broadened to tell a largerstory of legal injustice, parenting, and(in the case of Kate and David)activism as a form of grief. Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. I read this book in a single day on 2 airplanes several months ago. David is related to Sharon Lynn Johnson and Sherree Ann Bagby as well as 3 additional people. Hed be about to enter senior high and might be planning his future. Senior Writer and Project Manager. In August 2000, Turner moved to Sac City, Iowa, to begin work for Trimark Physicians Corporation. Its a part of his life Bagby calls a dance with the devil.. Related: 10 Eye-Opening True Crime Books by Mindhunter Author John Douglas. Zacharys arrival pierced the hatred toward Turner that flooded the Bagbys lives after they lost their only son. I'm rarely the kind of gal that cries during movies or books and I was sobbing. With Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby. While watching the few minutes of the show, I could not believe that what the woman in the 'story' had done (at the end of the show/book) (and don't want to give away the ending here). Turner subsequently made a total of 200 threatening phone calls to the man over the following month. -Managed leading Egyptian companies' accounts with the firm, including in the oil and gas, financial, consumer goods, real estate and automotive sectors. 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. 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. Three years later, Turner and her second husband divorced, and she was granted custody of their daughter. [2]:101. ?I knew what Zachary's fate would be long before it was written about here but it was shattering to read of it from his grandfather's perspective. 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. Yes! In November 1997, Turner confronted him in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and struck him in the jaw with her high-heeled shoe. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. If you dont figure out how to live with it, youll kill yourself or waste away and die, Bagby said. They still have friends in the province, people Kate said they wouldnt have survived without. Thats Kates position, David Bagby said of the notion they will one day see Andrew and Zachary. This raw, gut-wrenching book also walks the reader back to the start of the action, when the ill-fated chain of events first began to unfold. In 1983, Turner moved to Labrador City and worked as a science teacher. There are 40+ professionals named "David Bagby", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. And this book was okay. [16] The provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador accepted the report's conclusions and its 29 recommendations. We need each other, have each other to get through this.". They had to be nice to Turner, to keep her mellow, and not fight with her. David Bagby has written such a poignant account of the sordid happenings and has brought both Andrew and Zachary alive on the pages. Meanwhile, after graduating from Memorial University in May 2000, Bagby landed a surgical residency at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University at Syracuse, New York. There are so many questions raised:why was there no psychological profile done on Turner as she awaited trial?Why did child protection services not do their job and protect ( or even follow closely) Zachary? Was inspired to read this book after watching the horrifying documentary "Dear Zachary". [12], Turner's body was found on a beach by a vacationing couple, with Zachary's body discovered nearby. With its intended recipient now gone, Dear Zachary simultaneously became a memorial and a cry for justice, with the critics consensus at Rotten Tomatoes calling it both a touching tribute to a fallen friend and a heart-wrenching account of justice gone astray, skillfully put to film with no emotion spared.. David Bagby wouldnt mind a trip back to Newfoundland, but said his wife has more emotions about the subject and they likely wont return. These events fuel the Bagbys crusade to reform Canadian bail laws to deny bail to accused murderers awaiting trial. Watsonville Worm Castings The Dr. Andrew David Bagby Family Medicine Scholarship is for medical students at Excela Health Latrobe Hospital, and almost four dozen students pursuing Bagby's speciality of family practice have benefited from the award. The media interest in the story may have waned some, but their loss is never-ending. DAVID BAGBY OBITUARY. 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. 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. Andrew Bagby, a gregarious family-practice resident at Latrobe, was found shot to death on Nov. 5, 2001, in Keystone State Park. But its also the emotional toll of attending trials and hearing gruesome stories like theirs played out in court over and over. By October of 2001, Turner told Bagby that she was three months pregnant, which she later confessed was a lie intended to keep him from leaving her. The man contacted the RNC on three occasions to complain about Turner's harassment, which both violated the terms of her bail and was considered grounds to lose custody of Zachary. This book is more about how the justice system failed and 2 more people are dead because of it. Turner claimed that she was pregnant by the man, but no evidence was found showing this to be the case. Also among their group of friends was Matt Oetinger, the owner of Fernwood Cellars on Redwood Retreat Road. 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]. You dont get over it. The news and opinions youll love for only $10 for 1 year. Then, in August 2003, Shirley killed herself and the one-year-old Zachary by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. You can absorb it and carry on. Furious about this, Bagby drove Turner to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and broke up with her over lunch, sending her on a plane back to Iowa. Its heartbreaking, said Kate, who recalls last seeing Zachary the evening before he was killed. Others included falsely taking the child and moving around the USunder assumed identities. The fact that such a brief relationshipwasall it took to push her over the edgeisa testament to how surprising it was that a judge let her walk free with custody. He laughs as he recalls images of Zachary running up and down a hall, saying that is a joy. 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. 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." You have entered an incorrect email address! David Bagby IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Play trailer 2:39 Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) 1 Video 1 Photo Help contribute to IMDb. 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. Well never understand how anybody can ignore the fact that murderers are dangerous, he said. View the profiles of professionals named "David Bagby" on LinkedIn. 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. "[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]. But what, exactly, were the tragic events that led to the passage of Zacharys Bill? [8] Turner was released from Her Majesty's Penitentiary's Clarenville Correctional Centre for Women, and was required to post CAD$75,000 bail, turn in her passports, pay weekly visits to the RNC, promise not to leave the area, and make no attempt to contact Bagby's family. After mixing her lorazepam into Zachary's baby formula and ingesting a toxic dosage herself, Turner strapped the infant to her chest with her sweater and jumped off a fishing wharf at Foxtrap Marina into the Atlantic Ocean. A few months after Bagbys death, Turner gave birth to their son, whom she named Zachary. Despite her claim to have been in bed sick on 5 November, cell phone and Internet records showed that she had made cross-country calls both to and from Latrobe, accessed eBay and Hotmail from Bagby's home computer, and used his home phone to call in sick. Turner, the daughter of a U.S. serviceman and a woman from St. Anthony, met Andrew while they were attending medical school at Memorial University in St. Johns. It pains me to award only two stars to a book written by David Bagby, but I want to use the Goodreads' ranking system more accurately. Turner received her undergraduate degree from Memorial University in May 1994; four years later, she earned her medical degree. I saw the documentaryand I am speechless. Its a string of perplexing events that began Nov. 5, 2001, and still isnt over. In the early years, that included David writing a book, Dance With the Devil, about his sons and grandsons murders, and Kuennes documentary. 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? Andrew Bagby was found dead in a state park just outside Latrobe, Pa., where he was a resident in the local hospital's family medicine program. 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.