This was the situation with Andrews son Zachary. And thus the decision from which all else followed. KATE: (Zachary hugging Kate) This is your Uncle Kurt. This is how Kuenne represents his emotion at hearing the news that the woman who killed his friend had also killed his friends son. I kind of. I--we both did. When Kate reached down to wipe one away, she accidentally knocked out the plug used to mask his facial wound. anything like that, would we take care of Zachary? The film is by the phenomenal writer, director and composer Kurt Kuenne. Well, I was hurt in an, accident. The Bagbys prove it is possible for a woman to kill your child and for you to forge a civil relationship with that woman in order to protect another. Mr. BAGBY: (Talking in group) This is about making public exactly what, MORRISON: The Bagbys' public outrage had some results. You know? Parents Kate and David Bagby's story of identifying Andrew's body is devastating. 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. MORRISON: When another of Andrew's best friends, Kurt Kuenne, heard about the murder, he also went into a tailspin. Sometimes, if you are paying attentionclose attentionyou can see it coming, even if only barely. It will have its television premiere on MSNBC this fall following a theatrical release that is currently in negotiations and expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Mr. BAGBY: We were out shopping or something. There won't be any question about whether she can hurt, MORRISON: Coming up, as David Bagby wrestles with these terrible. Kate to keep up their end of that bargain. You will cry. Mr. KURT KUENNE (Director): I decided to go on the road to interview people, because I thought, you know, he's never going to have a wedding. I dont understand how that can be ignored.. MORRISON: So different from who Andrew really was, a kind, devoted son who made Eagle Scout at 15. 2015 - 20153 . 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. -, "You don't just view what's happening on the screen -- you live it through every gasp and every tear, and every bit of exasperated anger(resulting) in one powerful standing ovation, the likes of which I have never seen at Hot Docs beforeDear Zachary will move you. After Canadian mother killed herself and their only grandchild, U.S Blu-ray: See details above! . If you were to dream up the perfect set of parents, it would be Kate and David Bagby. MORRISON: Zachary Andrew Turner, the son of murder victim Andrew, Bagby and his accused killer Shirley Turner, was born on July 18th 2002, eight, months after the young doctor's murder. But something kept me going, and. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) I know you don't want to, you don't intend to. The next, hearing in the extradition process was set for September, at which time they. MORRISON: It was almost two years after Andrew Bagby's murder, when Shirley Turner's eldest son T.J. drove home to his girlfriend after an. Shirley and Zachary, then 13 months old, had been staying with the couple. Dear Zachary has been announced as the first film to launch the newly formed MSNBC Films division of MSNBC. Information on who and where to write can be found by going to the "Support Bail Reform" page. There was plenty of turmoil in the industry, but many shows continued to nourish, illuminate, and delight. to reconsider getting some help with that. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference. We had to pack up Zachary, Mr. BAGBY: We just climbed right back upstairs and went to bed and melted. Imagine it. 2015 - 2020. Bagby Scholarship | Excela Health MORRISON: Andrew Bagby. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Then I can't consent to more time right now. helped convince me that she would not hurt Zachary. Shirley Turner had some startling news. IE 11 is not supported. Kuennes fast-talking exposition, while confusing, seems purposeful, as though the murder were a necessary backstory to be pushed through as quickly as possible in order to get to the heart of the narrative: Andrew Bagbys life and how horrible his death was for those who loved him. Some of, those frames even at the dollar stores will say--there'll be little sayings on, Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) if you want to say `Mommy and Daddy' on a. frame and stick a picture of me and Andrew in it, I don't know. Shirley asked them to take custody of Zachary while she was gone. I had this overwhelming feeling. (Youll never guess who showed up on my doorstep, one of Bagbys friends recalls him saying. They're like, `What do you mean?' I am a young director, producer, stage manager, communicator, and creative organizer for theatre and multimedia artistic endeavors. I said, `Andrew,' I said, `be serious. I think they just poured all of their love and, MORRISON: A week after Kurt's visit, Zachary turned one. Blood red screen. Mr. BAGBY: Oh, this ranks right up there. children, who had recently been in a bad car accident. Mr. BAGBY: (Audio recording) (Unintelligible). He laughs as he recalls images of Zachary running up and down a hall, saying that is a joy. Senior Writer and Project Manager. GARDNER: (Audio recording) Yeah. I can understand that. This film was no longer a letter to you, Unidentified Man #23: Well, everybody always says, well, what. If you didnt realize the importance of that, Kuenne mutes the film to let you process it. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Mr. BAGBY: She told the court she was afraid we would harm the baby. The bill now moves to the Senate where it is expected to be embraced in a similar fashion. MORRISON: In July 2003, a year and eight months after their son's, murder, Andrew's friend, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, who'd been making the, documentary film for Zachary about the father he'd never know, arrived in. -, "This documentary will rip out your heart and leave you in the snow without a sweater. I kind of need to move on from that because, like I. said, I'm a Bagby male. Its hard to imagine a well-crafted rendition being as powerful.). Zachary, how's our baby today? https://www.saltwire.com//california-couple-want-as-many-/ saltwire.com California couple want as many people as possible to know their story | SaltWire So he came straight for me. MORRISON: But would that somebody turn out to be a blessing or a curse? They were good friends; it was he who Bagby had told about the fatal meeting with Turner beforehand. KATE: I thought, `Well, God, this is it.' Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Are you sure? (It was announced, in 2014, that the documentary would be made into a miniseries. And tears are dropping on him, of course, and Kate went to wipe one of those away off his cheek, and a plug came out, where hed been shot in the left cheek. A court mandate allowed David and Kate Bagby to spend time, with their grandson, babysitting, even sharing in joint activities with. You dont get over it. -, "Some of the week's biggest flicks aren't at Sundancefilmmakers have praised Slamdance film. ', MORRISON: When Dr. Andrew Bagby's bullet-riddled corpse was, found in a Pennsylvania state park in November 2001, his devastated parents. But two months later, that would change, after Shirley appealed, again to be released on bail. That child was Zachary, to whom the film is addressed. But I used to look at her hand and think, it. He was in, Mr. SHEARS: I would cook supper sometimes when she wasn't around. First their son was murdered in Pennsylvania, then their grandson in Sharing voices. She always spent time with him, and seemed to me like she was, MORRISON: Still grieving over the loss of their only son, David, and Kate Bagby had forsaken their lives in California and moved to, Newfoundland, not just to make sure justice was being served, but also to be, (Kate; David; Newfoundland; Supreme Court building; photo of Zachary), KATHERINE: There's this wonderful feeling, `I'm going to see part of Andrew. The private member's bill was introduced by MP Scott Andrews of Newfoundland last fall after he saw "Dear Zachary" at a March 2009 screening in Ottawa and decided to do something about what he saw. December 15, 2009: Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) It's either in my closet or my bedroom. 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. Andrew Bagby, a gregarious family-practice resident at Latrobe, was found shot to death on Nov. 5, 2001, in Keystone State Park. Asked if he would have done anything different back then, David replies, kill Shirley Turner.. And I don't know, I just lay on top of her and we, MORRISON: T.J. opened the door to police, too, and heard the. You are born, you grow up, you make friends, you get a job, a partner, a house, maybe a car, maybe a kid, maybe more. David and Kate Bagby know all about the unlikely power of love funneled through rage. If a suitable candidate is not identified, the award will not be given for that year. kind of panic sets in, I guess. Bagby came from Sunnyvale, California, and was the son of Kathleen Daphne Bagby ( ne Barnard), a registered nurse and midwife from Chatham, England, United Kingdom; and David Franklin Bagby, an American former United States Navy serviceman and computer engineer. Keith Morrison reports. When Bagby said he was going to anyway, Simpson asked him to come to his house right after. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. I can say it like that because even without a trial, the evidence was so damning we might as well have been next to her when she carried out the crime. And in that time, the Canadian justice system does nothing. KATE: (To Zachary) Kurt knew your daddy when he was a little boy. They are warm. And when, after his first year at med school, Heather broke off the engagement, Andrew was crushed. Then, suddenly, tears. I dont know how else to say it except they are grown-ups: they are funny, but serious; playful, but organized. Kurt Kuenne's acclaimed orchestral score for "Dear Zachary", nominated for Best Documentary Score of 2008 by the International Film Music Critics Association, is now available on CD and for digital download. You live your life, you create an entire universe around you, you trundle along, and then FUCK. 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." 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. Mr. BAGBY: She just kept coming back, and coming back and coming back. They still have friends in the province, people Kate said they wouldnt have survived without. Mr. SHEARS: When we woke up in the morning, realized they weren't there. (A number of his male friends say that they asked, or would have asked, him to be their best man.) Click HERE for ticket information. 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.'. Cpl. The legal system helped her kill Zachary. Mr. BAGBY: The baby would be half Andrew, and that, for us, was sweet. Man #26: and for having the strength to make it through, Unidentified Man #27: With what you've been through, to still be, carrying on, still to hold your heads up and keep going and pushing forward is, (Kate and David; photo of David and Kate), Unidentified Woman #13: I think God put some people down on Earth, Mr. A. BAGBY: (Wedding video) We're brothers, and I love you. You were done. And that was midafternoon. They've retired, hang out with friends and travel a bit, David Bagby said. This is a huge step forward in the mission Dear Zachary was created to accomplish. You will laugh, you will smile, you will cry, and you might even want to stand up and shout at the screen. Mr. BAGBY: (Audio recording) Just got up. KEITH MORRISON reporting: He was everybody's idea of the perfect best man. I only live a block away.' December 4, 2008: Kurt Kuennes 2008 documentary, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, deserves a second look, especially in light of the recent popularity of true-crime programs like Serial and Making a Murderer., Photograph courtesy Oscilloscope Pictures / Everett. 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. We couldn't let the authorities who let this happen get away with it. sixteen years have passed but for the bagbys the story of the deaths of their only son and grandson resurfaces all the time. Oh my god. Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss - Goodreads His goal at first was simply to collect memories and tributes from people who were close to Bagby. Information on who and where to write can be found on the "Support Bail Reform" page. Believing that even where there is evil, there is also a tremendous amount of good." Through a complicated series of delayed hearings and granted bails, Turner remained free for many months while the decision regarding her extradition was in process. Djing. Office Manager. We urge everyone to write your MP (if Canadian) or the Attorney General of Canada (if not) urging them to support MP Andrews and his bill as it moves toward a vote in the near future. She landed a residency at a hospital in Iowa, several states away but still close enough to allow occasional weekends with Andrew in Pennsylvania. HEATHER: You are the most amazing, strongest people I've ever. Then, upon. We. (Newfoundland; Shears driving; photo of Shirley and Zachary; water at night; Mr. SHEARS: She said Zachary was being fussy and that just driving him, around would calm him down. Cpl. After arriving home, she drove 900 miles back to Pennsylvania to kill the man who rejected her. At least he might have asleep when she went in. TO ME ITS REAL LIFE. Dear Zachary avoids the first pitfall by directly confronting the second. Such choices make for a disorienting viewing experience, especially if youre accustomed to the conventions of slicker documentaries. MORRISON: You didn't seriously think of--I mean, you talk about this plan Mr. BAGBY: Absolutely. SCREAMS. And if they don't charge her, they had no way to restrict her travel. then one day I realized what it was. She has to veer away from the image and instead see him as a living being. KATE: And she went over in the corner crying, and I gave him back. MORRISON: There might have been a particular reason for this. MORRISON: You're in turmoil at that point. Unidentified Man #25: I love them very much. Kurt is incredibly grateful for the good folks at MSNBC for making this arrangement happen. One of the first to meet Zachary was, (Photo of Zachary Turner; wedding dance; photo of Shirley and Zachary; photo. MORRISON: Zachary fell asleep in his car seat. On December 4, 2009, Bill C-464 (our bail reform bill) was discussed on the floor of the House of Commons for a full hour, and MP Scott Andrews received unanimous support from all political parties in the House of Commons to advance the bill to the Standing Committee on Justice & Human Rights. David Bagby, left, and Kate Bagby, right, celebrate with their son Andrew Bagby at his graduation from medical school at Memorial University of Newfoundland in June 2000. Blu-Ray | DVD, BLU-RAY And Im blessed to have David and quite frankly David is blessed to have me, said Kate. GARDNER: (Audio recording) I'm not going to kid you, Doctor. What a flaky person. This movie is the kind of nightmare no one could dream up. On December 15, 2010, Governor General David Johnston gave Royal Assent to Bill C-464: An Act To Amend the Criminal Code (justification for detention in custody), making it law in Canada. Mr. KUENNE: He warmed up to me as the--as the week wore on, MORRISON: But the Bagbys were especially anxious. Dr. ANDREW BAGBY: (Wedding videotape) Best man is a little bit of a poor title for these things. MORRISON: It's no easy thing to be a doctor in America. "There, is no indication of a psychological disorder that would give concern about, potential harm to the public generally as her crime, while violent, was, specific in nature." But on Sunday, when he drove her to the airport, Andrew made it clear to Shirley it was over for good. -, "A 10 out of 10. DVD: Amazon | B&N But they also contribute to the feeling of watching something urgent and unmediated. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) His parents don't even know, do they? prayed that his murderer, whoever it was, would be swiftly brought to justice. MORRISON: Shirley also claimed to have been at home in Iowa, sick in bed the day of the murder. (Photo of David and Kate; airplane; lake and coast), MORRISON: But here's the thing. Read the DocuWeek Q&A with writer/director/composer Kurt Kuenne HERE. Unidentified Man #20: The weather here is terrible. Cpl. People in the audience were literally weeping during the post-screening Q&A." MORRISON: But then things changed. MORRISON: It was August 2003, the wee hours of the morning by the ocean. 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. Nobody drives 16 hours after you've just broken up with them.' It left me looking for the impossibility of marking the film above the highest grade available on the festival's voting ballot. GARDNER: (Audio recording) I have to tell you that Andrew is dead. Murders of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner - Wikipedia I'm just curious Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Yeah, and I wanted to know for safety. In the early years, that included David writing a book, Dance With the Devil, about his sons and grandsons murders, and Kuennes documentary. In 2006, the press was there again to cover the issuance of a report on the death of, (Newspaper article; David on TV show being interviewed; Confederation, Unidentified Reporter: (Newscast) The government has received a scathing. In January, the film was nominated for Best Documentary by both the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Online Film Critics Society, who also nominated writer/director/composer Kurt Kuenne for Breakthrough Filmmaker of 2008. Dear Zachary was the most honored film at Cinequest 18 in San Jose, receiving sustained standing ovations from packed houses at all 3 screenings and winning 2 awards - a Special Jury Award for Documentary Feature and the Audience Award. Someone found a car that didn't belong. Except this story is worse. 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. In New York - August 8-14 at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue at W. 3rd Street. MORRISON: The rage was tempered with a yearning to know just why Andrew had been assassinated. flying; Canadian flag flying; Supreme Court of Newfoundland building exterior; photos of Shirley; court document; university building; man talking to, reporters; court documents; Kate and David). In Los Angeles - August 22-28 at the Arclight Hollywood, 6360 Sunset Blvd. We would've done handstands and cartwheels to. Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. I got to put on the record the fact that I would like a much stronger bill, said David. How dreadful the knowledge of the truth can be, wrote Sophocles, when theres no help in truth.. She would never go away. In the end, she died, but love did not. Mr. BAGBY: That's one of the options, and that's the one we hoped for. Mr. DAVID BAGBY: I threw the phone at the desk, and I jumped up and just screamed, `No! 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. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) He is too happy, Kathleen. Please consider joining us in this mission by becoming a member of the SaltWire Network and helping to make our communities better. MORRISON: And then, in the spring of 1995, Andrew found someone, a Newfoundlander, also a doctor in training, a woman named Shirley Turner. They began a drawn-out court battle to protect their grandson from the woman who had almost certainly murdered their son. Mommy loves you. Slain tot's grandparents welcome new bail law | CBC News Cpl. We couldnt actually believe shed (harm Zachary), but we consciously feared she could do that, he said. MORRISON: Ah, but there was a lot to say about Andrew. And not just because its real. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) (Unintelligible) Hi, sweetheart. MORRISON: The Bagbys said that Shirley would later apologize for, her reaction. Even during his stilted summaries of events, you can sometimes hear Kuenne choking up. An unusually personal and powerful story of a murder, it may offer something of a counterweight to the forces of bias and prurience that often pull the genre off-track. David Bagby Obituary (2022) - Statesville, NC - Statesville Record MORRISON: Life for Andrew Bagby was good. 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition DigiPak: KATE: (Audio recording) Right. (Photo of Shirley; "Canada" on building; T.J. Shears walking), Mr. T.J. SHEARS: My mom was just like, `Oh, hey.' to the house and found a card from a police officer that we knew. get in there, if that's what she demanded. MORRISON: And tell me about your mum with Zachary. It had happened almost surely the last, night they were together, and DNA tests would later prove that Andrew was, (Supreme Court exterior; court in progress; house exterior; Shirley and Shears. KATE: I knew exactly what my son looked at before he died. Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss: Do you understand? Why would she say that if he wasn't? The reason we go through the lawyers is so that we. See rank. So we called, and he came over and told us that Zachary and Shirley were. She turns to talking of her son and calls him Gods blessing. (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. Slamdance Film Festival book signing! Mr. SHEARS: It seemed like it to me, yeah. 1 suspect was his estranged girlfriend, Shirley Turner, also a medical doctor, who was raised in western Newfoundland and was then practicing in Iowa. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. MORRISON: Even more, the Bagbys' gloom was mixed with worry. In this way, Dear Zachary inverts the usual way of telling murder stories. The film ends with the Bagbys and their relatives, friends, and colleagues reflecting on the father and son, as well as the . And now it's just. Cpl. MORRISON: But she was allowed to go back to Newfoundland? CONTRIBUTED BY DAVID AND KATE BAGBY Sixteen years have passed but for the Bagbys the story of the deaths of their only son and grandson resurfaces all the time. (Driving through rainy street; correctional facility sign; Andrew; Kurt, Unidentified Woman #8: They would drive two hours to the jail. Shirley. Because she didnt know love either. . Parents Kate and David Bagby's story of identifying Andrew's body is devastating. The bill has added an amendment to Canada's criminal code giving courts the right to refuse bail to someone charged with a serious crime who is deemed a potential danger to children under the age of 18. I knew, exactly what my son looked at before he died. They are warm. The full hour will not be available online. While that change felt good, David wanted more. On Monday, March 22, 2010, the House of Commons in Ottawa unanimously passed Bill C-464 - An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (justification for detention in custody). If she had her way, we would not have had any visitation at, MORRISON: Coming up, fighting not just to see their grandson, but. Shortly after his death, she fled to Canada and settled back in St. Johns. We'll keep this website updated as to their progress when there is news. It also took 3rd place in the National Headliner Awards for Best Documentary of 2008, given by the Press Club of Atlantic City. MORRISON: Two weeks after Andrew's murder, cell phone records, would show that Shirley Turner drove all the way from Iowa to Andrew's, neighborhood in Pennsylvania, arrived there the day of the murder, and then, she, or at least her cell phone, returned to Iowa. Unidentified Man #22: We will develop policy specific to children. -Managed leading Egyptian companies' accounts with the firm, including in the oil and gas, financial, consumer goods, real estate and automotive sectors. I had lovely family. Help contribute to IMDb. decision. Add a bio, trivia, and more. CORNER BROOK, N.L.