He travels the country finding footage of Andrew and interviewing his family and friends, eventually making it all the way up to Newfoundland where hemeetsAndrews newborn son, Zachary. The child, a boy, was born on 9 July 1982. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Turner claimed that she was pregnant by the man, but no evidence was found showing this to be the case. Throughoutthe film, it's really difficult to watch a reasonable man consider such extreme and desperate measures. When police obtained a warrant for Turners arrest, she fled the States, back to Canada. The birth of Zachary didn'tend David's dark thoughts, however. However, as events unfolded and took an even more tragic turn, he decided to release the film publicly. The documentarys vulnerability and its uniquemix of joy and sadness remind us that some true crime stories are not just about the perpetratorsthey can also bea moving tribute to their victims. [21], In December 2019,[22] a digitally remastered "10th Anniversary Edition" of Dear Zachary was released on DVD and Blu-ray. Need some creative inspiration? You need the energy to get through the next few hours. Such was introduced on March 23rd, 2010, and Zacharys Bill was signed into law two years after the release of Kuennes documentary. by Johnny Brayson. Best Documentaries on Amazon Prime To sign up, email glorie@theodysseyonline.com. 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. The inquiry concluded that Zachary's death had been preventable. - Elliot V. Kotek, Moving Pictures Magazine There's no shortage of harrowing documentaries, but Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is one of the most intense. Justice Gale Welshmaintained that "there is no indication of a psychological disorder that would give concern about potential harm to the public generally.". You will grow attached to this family and you will leave the film feeling compelled to act. Kuenne adds his own memories to the film, along with his anger & grief over the senseless crime. You simply must see this film." She arranged to meet Bagby at Keystone State Park that evening, where Bagby was found dead the following morning, having been shot five times. [8] 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. Frankie Stein is from Italy, but lives in Ingolstadt, Germany. Turners pregnancy was even announced. It is about Kuenne's close friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered after Bagby ended a relationship with a woman named Shirley Jane Turner. After the films release, Kuenne sent four hundred copies of Dear Zachary to every member of the Canadian Parliament to campaign for a bill to give more protection to children in custody disputes. She hung the fake pregnancy over Bagby's head and used it to harass any woman who was close withhim. Released in 2008, the film makes the cut as one of the greatest documentaries of all time. You simply must see this film." 7 Different Types of Legal Defenses In Criminal Law. While attendingmedical school,Andrew Bagby began dating Turner, who was 12 years older than him. Some of those thoughts included him, without Kate's knowledge, taking out Turner and allowing himself to be imprisoned. I hear the last words of the song and I lift my head cautiously. decades after the murder of After the murder, Turner, now accused of killing Andrew, announces she is four months pregnant with Andrews child. The man then broke off the relationship after learning from a friend about Turner's connection to Bagby's murder. He had been shot five times in the face, the chest, the buttocks, and the back of the head with CCI .22 bullets. Kate was devastated at how the process unfolded. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father Bagbys parents were forced to give Turner joint custody of Zachary. Released in 2008, the filmmakes the cut as one ofthe greatest documentaries of all time. Dear Zachary During one of these visits, Turner is believed to have burglarized Bagby's apartment. Youll never be out of style. And I realize thats all I have left. Documentary Biography Crime A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. Kuenne finished his documentary and dedicated it to the memories of both Bagby and Zachary. Andrew was never late, the friend said. During her remedial second residency period in early 2000, Turner missed nine days of her three-month rotation and falsified clinical reports. If youre fascinated by the world of true crime, sign up for our newsletter. Dressing for you and not for others is easier said than done. On Aug. 13, 2003, Turner, still fighting extradition, took Zachary to Conception Bay. Turner was arrested as a suspect, and, shortly thereafter, announced she was pregnant with Bagby's child, a boy she named Zachary. No shade to them, everyone has their own style that they like and feel confident in. 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. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. [18] It was introduced to the Senate of Canada on March 23, 2010,[19] and signed into law on December 16over seven years after Zachary's death, and over two years after the film was released. [2]:85 During this period, she resumed a previous relationship with a fisherman from Corner Brook. It received critical acclaim, particularly for its editing and emotional weight. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Dear Zachary has an approval rating of 94% based on 51 reviews, with an average score of 8.10/10; the site's critical consensus reads: "Dear Zachary is 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. 10 Disturbing Documentaries That Are Stranger Than Fiction. He always had a good taste in music and its no wonder this song was his favorite. [15], Dear Zachary was released on DVD on February 24, 2009, by Oscilloscope Laboratories. I dont know how well we ended up fitting in, especially when we were speaking English most of the time, but nonetheless. Bagby agreed to talk with her about the pregnancy during a wedding that Bagby was scheduled to attend. A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. I wish I could discuss more about the plot line, but that would be sacrificing your open mind. WebDear Zachary is a documentary, and there is a fallacy about documentaries that this one proves wrong- that they are all logic and lack heart. Cataloging the most poignant Dear Zachary moments may seem like a fools errand, Dear Zachary Turner made the travel to visit Bagby seven times, whilehe came to see her only once. Turner, reportedly mentally unstable, decided to endherself and the life of her baby over a man she had gone out with twice, after meeting him at a bar in St. John's. 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 1983, Turner moved to Labrador City and worked as a science teacher. One note had been addressed to Doucet and the other to her psychiatrist; the latter read, "I am not evil, just sick." At times I tried to keep up with the trends but most of the time I found that I was always late to them. When, in November 2002, a provincial court ruled that enough evidence pointed to Turner as Bagby's killer, Turner was again arrested, and Bagby's parents were awarded custody of Zachary. In my lifetime, I have watched a great number of movies like these ones which are really emotional, but the only one that has ever caused me to cry for real was the documentary titled Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, which was released in 2008. Looking for a way to spend your summer doing something creative and fulfilling? 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. Bringingattention to this film, after all,supports the cause of Kate and David Bagby, who, since becoming activists for bail reform, have helpedshepherdseveral positive changes to the Canadian legal system. Turner completed her undergraduate education while raising her children with help from her second husband. She could be charming[,] friendly and lively but when caught in an untruth she would become angry, accusatory and loud. I wonder what its like to be free. Andrew told a friend he was going to meet Shirleythe following day to finally end things. Dear Zachary As Turner was leaving Bagby's apartment to travel home, she decided to turn around. Bagbys childhood friend Kenneth Kuenne made the film as a way to document the memories of Andrews life. In his approach, Kuenne succeeds in presenting a full portrait of Bagbys life, showing just how many lives Bagby affected and the deep grief that accompanied his death. Shirley Turner, a mother and medical student who played the victim card throughout her life, was not what she seemed - or was she? Screaming is absolutely inevitable. For example, at Miami University, I see a lot of girls in sororities wearing similar outfits throughout the day. Plus, for your first 10 articles, youll be compensated by HQ at $10/response. They kept a staggering long-distance relationship. Shortly after she was arrested, she announced that she was pregnant with his child, whom she named Zachary. 12 Documentaries With Twist Endings 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. In St. John's, Turner discovered, and later revealed, that she was pregnant with Bagby's child. The next twist is like a punch to the gut. When Kate reached down to wipe one away, she accidentally knocked out the plug used to mask his facial wound. A judge released her using the logicthat "[h]er crime, while violent, was specific in nature," implying that she was not likely to harm anyone else. She took her return flight to Iowa, but then, the next day, drove the almost 1,000 miles back to Latrobe, arriving early on the morning of November 5. Want to spend your summer being creative and making some money on the side? [22] The Dr. Andrew Bagby and son Zachary Bursary Fund supports students at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Tears fall from my face the same way petals fall from wilted flowers. His laptop, movie and music collection, and many other personal items were gone. 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.". [14] According to filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Doucet later left Newfoundland and relocated elsewhere in Canada.[15]. Police concluded that she was attempting to frame the boyfriend for the planned murdersuicide. to every member of the Canadian Parliament to campaign for a bill to give more protection to children in custody disputes. The film was submitted to the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival, but was rejected by both. Although it's hard to watch, it's a They're leaving and you're the last one of the group left at school. [13], On 3 May 2006, a disciplinary board convened by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador found Doucet guilty of professional misconduct for his involvement in helping to post Turner's $75,000 bail. WebTheres no shortage of harrowing documentaries, but Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is one of the most intense. Your favorite summer hobby and how you got into it. Andrew tried to leave Shirley entirely in November 2001. Dear Zachary The RNC arrested Turner on 12 December, the same day extradition proceedings commenced against her. Benefiting off of the fact her student loanswere calculated on the assumption the childrenremained in her custody, Turner often used her family as an excuse for absences during residency. gathers the fragments of a true crime story about young doctor Andrew Bagby and the terrible events surrounding his death. On November 4, 2006, Dr. Andrew Bagby broke up with his girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner. In the interim, one of Andrew Bagbys closest childhood friends, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne had begun making a documentary about the young doctor, titled Dear Zachary, an effort to tell the toddler about the father he never met. Were excited to hear from you! During my time abroad, we were encouraged not to wear athletic clothing to fit in with the European culture. ", Is there a greater nightmare than people hinting that your child is gone but not confirming it? The following day Doucet received a voicemail from a female caller who stated, "Dr. Turner died last night.". "Dear Zachary" (2008) is Kurt Kuenne's directoral debut, a homage to his murdered friend, addressed to said friend's child. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a [16], As part of a campaign to change federal bail laws, Kuenne sent a copy of Dear Zachary to each of the over 400 members of Canada's Parliament. The rays of music may salsa on her skin, but they dig deep into mine. The case was closed on 11 January 1994 without an interview with Turner. Unsettled and left with no closure over the case, David and KateBagby,Andrew's parents and Zachary's grandparents,aggressively told their tale inKuenne's documentary entitledDear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 14:10. She was released on bail in January 2003 by Judge Gale Welsh, who felt Turner did not pose a threat to society in general. The speed at which Kuenne rushes through the details of the case would not do at all for any professional true-crime documentary set to lure in an audience with gruesome facts. A senseless crime 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. Its best not to read up on the case until after youve seenDear Zachary if you want the documentary to work its intensely affecting charm on you. He had been shot five times. Although it's hard to watch, it's a must-see. 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. They uncover everything about him that I promised myself I would forget. Turner,still unwilling to leave him alone, went to his home and attempted an elaborate and psychologically disturbing suicide. Dear Zachary "Dear Zachary" (2008) is Kurt Kuenne's directoral debut, a homage to his murdered friend, addressed to said friend's child. Dear Zachary is an unsettling and horrific true-crime film created by her murder victim's close friend Kurt Kuenne, which exposes the timeline of Turner's history of erratic behavior and the murders of father and son Andrew and Zachary Bagby. She was arrested in December 2001, but released on bail while her extradition to the United States worked its way through the Canadian courts. Turner subsequently made a total of 200 threatening phone calls to the man over the following month. "[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]. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. a threat to society. His intention was just to explore Bagbys life and interview those who knew him. Your friends are all done with their finals and you still have one more to go. Markesteyn, Peter H.; Day, David C. (September 2006). Bagby and Turner's relationship began to crumble, and Turner became increasingly possessive. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father Zachary Between 1998 and 2000, she served as a resident physician at teaching hospitals across Newfoundland. Turner posted bail with help from her psychiatrist, John Doucet, a former co-worker from Memorial University. Sure, these items could be considered trendy or timeless and not fit a specific style. Swinging back and forth to the strums of the guitar gently echoing, she smiles. David remembers uttering, "It's really him," and recalls how the two cried over the body, tears falling on to Andrew's face. After Canadian mother killed herself and However, I truly believe i is something that needs to be experience by everyone and it s something you cannot go into without an open mind. Dear Zachary also takes steps to highlight the flaws in the Canadian legal system & Bagbys parents exhausting battle to find justice for their lost son and grandson. You will curse the Canadian justice system for showing no concern for human life. Lists about some of the most shocking and upsetting documentary films & series that you should totally watch anyway. This documentary has serious heart:and its unusual approach makes it all the more heartbreaking. [4] The Bagbys had to give Zachary back to Turner, but they were able to arrange a visitation schedule. We play detective, piecing together the fragments of a story until we get the satisfaction of looking at a complete picture. [2]:87 She also had an abortion that July, but the father was not known. Look no further! His intention was just to explore Bagbys life and interview those who knew him. "There's no point in going on," David saidof their logic at the time. Canadian officials also released her on bail even though she was detained as the culpable suspect in the case. People We Want to See on a Comedy Central Roast. A possessive and jealous Turner also confronted Bagby about his friendship with an ex-girlfriend. However, in the summer of 2000, Turner confessed to a relative that she had spent the baby bonuses on her own living expenses and doctoral education. On several occasions, it was noted that Zachary had poor attachment to his mother and preferred the company of other adults, particularly his grandparents. On August 18, 2003, Turner jumped into the Atlantic Ocean with thirteen-month-old Zachary strapped to her stomach, drowning them both in a murdersuicide. In one particularly heartbreaking scene, Andrews father David describes identifying his sons body in the morgue. Bagby acted in many of Kuenne's amateur movies and, as these films became more professional in quality, he invested in them with some of the money he was saving up for medical school. The two had broken up only two days prior, right before Turner left by plane for Council Bluffs, Iowa. When I saw the title, next to a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I wasnt convinced. Her hobbies are: reading about science, doing experiments, and travelling. So Kurt set out to make a documentary about his beloved lost friend. I think back to the day I met him; the day I started loving someone more than I have ever loved myself. 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. Burbank, CA 91502, Location: 11042 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604, Location: 6377 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, Location: 1611 N El Centro Ave Los Angeles, CA 90028, Location:1810 Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA, Location: 250 N. 1st St. Burbank CA 91502, Location:14741 Calvert St. Van Nuys, CA 91411, Location: 800 S. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles CA 90036, Songs About Being 17Grey's Anatomy QuotesVine Quotes4 Leaf CloverSelf Respect, 1. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Dear Zachary is not a cinematic marvel, and its frantic editing and heavy-handed imagery can be off-putting. Dear Zachary Although it's hard to watch, it's a [2]:101. While Kenneth Kuennes documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father was named for the boy, he began filming before Turners pregnancy was even announced. Turner later drove home and left a message on Bagby's answering machine. 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. - Elliot V. Kotek, Moving Pictures Magazine [19] The website Film School Rejects placed the film third in their "30 Best Films of the Decade" list. There arent many documentaries likeDear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. Though her track record showedan increasing pattern of abuse and neglect towardher family and partners, an alarming turning point in Turner's history came only when she fatally shot Andrew Bagby. Afterward,hed come over for a beer. I finally understand that heartbreak has a sound. On 2 December, the Unit seized her trash and discovered printouts for an ultrasound taken on 29 November, showing a fetus that was conceived with Bagby the previous month. It has serious heart, and its unusual approach makes it all the more heartbreaking. 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. Related: 10 Terrifying True Stories of Killers Who Knew Their Victims. In short, when it comes to the genre, I know whats up. Those two exams just stripped you of your pride. 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." Dear Zachary But after ordering and returning items multiple times due to feeling uncomfortable in them, I realized that this wasnt my style. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our most chilling investigations sent straight to your inbox. What's doubly upsetting about this is the way director KurtKuenne sets their story to home movies of Andrew as a young boy. [5] Distraught over Zachary's death, and outraged at the Canadian legal system's failure to protect the child, David and Kathleen mounted a campaign to reform the country's bail laws, which they believed had helped allow Turner to kill her child and herself. 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. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. Kuennes film transforms into a visual letter to the child that Andrew never got to meet. After Canadian mother killed herself and But she does not hear the same song as me. It was broadcast by MSNBC on December 7, 2008, and has been reaired several times since. Andrews doomed relationship withShirley Turner began in Canada, whereAndrewattended medical school at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Turner was wearing a black dress, carried a bouquet of red roses and had two suicide notes on her. There's no shortage of harrowing documentaries, but Dear Zachary:A Letter to a Son About His Fatheris one of the most intense. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); WatchDocumentaries.com | Games | Quizzes | Contact |Privacy & Terms | Manage Cookies |Advertise | DMCA, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. 4. [2]:494[3] At the time, Shirley had been released on bail and awarded custody of the infant, even though she was in the process of being extradited to the United States to stand trial for the murder of Zachary's father, Andrew David Bagby. decades after the murder of From a young age, girls are introduced to a culture where they are expected to dress to impress specifically the men around them. Dear Zachary, which unfolds chronologically, has not one but two major twists. See production, box office & company info, The Legacy of Dear Zachary: A Journey to Change the Law, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, One of the Most Traumatic Films Ever Made, Your Father's Murderer: A Letter to Zachary, The Legacy of Dear Zachary: A Journey to Change the Law (2013), WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Hard to Watch Documentaries, St. John's, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Bagbys childhood friend Kenneth Kuenne made the film as a way to document the memories of Andrews life. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter. He expressed fear to police of "what Dr. Turner would do next. So here it is: If theres one documentary you need to watch before you die, its Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father. Well send you all the relevant quizzes, articles, polls, and news you could want to your inbox. In the interim, one of Andrew Bagbys closest childhood friends, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne had begun making a documentary about the young doctor, titled Dear Zachary, an effort to tell the toddler about the father he never met. 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. [10], The Chicago Film Critics Association nominated the film for its award for Best Documentary, and the Society of Professional Journalists presented the film with its Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Television Documentary (Network). "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 11 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father 2008 9 Andrew Bagby, a medical student, was murdered by his girlfriend Shirley Jane Turner soon after he ended their stormy relationship in 2001. Turner's husband raised the child as a stay-at-home dad while Turner continued her studies. Kuenne adds his own memories to the film, along with his anger & grief over the senseless crime. The Dear Zachary Story, "After Canadian mother killed herself and their only grandchild, U.S. couple started 10-year fight to change Canada's bail laws", "I had the moral right to kill Shirley Turner", "Shirley Turner, son found dead | CBC News", "Turner psychiatrist ordered to pay $10,000", "Ask the filmmaker a question about 'Dear Zachary', No need for Zachary Turner to die: death review, "Top 5 Good Movies You Never Want To See Again", "Nearly 2 decades after the murder of a physician and his son a legacy of love survives", "Dear Zachary: Donations in Andrew's Memory", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murders_of_Andrew_Bagby_and_Zachary_Turner&oldid=1152317598. By the summer of 2000, Turner had completed the requirements of her residency training and was qualified to practice medicine.
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