When I saw the title, next to a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I wasnt convinced. Before Turner's awareness of her actual pregnancy, she had fabricated one. When Turner's long-time boyfriendwished to end their relationship, she allegedly began stalking him. In 2001,Kurt Kuennes childhood friend Andrew Bagby was murdered by his estranged girlfriend, Shirley Turner. They're leaving and you're the last one of the group left at school. On 13 October, Turner told Bagby that she was three months pregnant. It was concluded thather eldest daughter and son were often left unattended for days on end, and -when Turner was home -she would strike them with a variety of objects, ranging from open hands to belts. This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 14:10. 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. Your favorite beach reads and binge-worthy Netflix shows. You've been studying all day and still don't understand the majority of the terms. Best Documentaries on Amazon Prime It is about Kuenne's close friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered after Bagby ended a relationship with a woman named Shirley Jane Turner. Its that powerful of a film, but not for the faint of heart. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter. 10 Haunting Documentaries These incidents left the supervising physician with the impression that: I felt I was being manipulated whenever I spoke with Shirley Turner. Shortly after she was arrested, she announced that she was pregnant with his child, whom she named Zachary. If you're looking for an extremely disturbing documentary film, you'll find it on these lists! The film ends with the Bagbys and their relatives, friends, and colleagues reflecting on the father and son, as well as the impact that Kathleen and David, who Kurt realizes the film is really for, had on all of them. Nobody from the department of social services contacted Turner, and the case was dropped on January 11, 1994. "There's no point in going on," David saidof their logic at the time. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 American documentary film written, produced, directed, edited, and scored by Kurt Kuenne. They kept a staggering long-distance relationship. During my time abroad, we were encouraged not to wear athletic clothing to fit in with the European culture. Turner received her undergraduate degree from Memorial University in May 1994; four years later, she earned her medical degree. 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. The documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father gathers the fragments of a true crime story about young doctor Andrew Bagby and the terrible events surrounding his death. Documentary Biography Crime A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. Dear Zachary 4. Dear Zachary is anunsettling 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. The bill, which helps protect children in relation to bail hearings and custody disputes, was signed into law the following year. Kuenne initially intended for Dear Zachary to be a private project for Andrew Bagbys friends and family. And she dances. [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. 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. Even if it doesn't send you bawling like me, you will feel a whole range of emotions: sadness, anger, disgust, impatience, injustice, despair. Since 1982, Turner had taken out baby bonuses for her children from a scholarship fund with the expectation of sending them to university. Turner,still unwilling to leave him alone, went to his home and attempted an elaborate and psychologically disturbing suicide. The 2008 documentary is directed by Kurt Kuenne, who began filming when his childhood friend Turner was rushed to a hospital, where she received a gastric lavage. Were excited to hear from you! People We Want to See on a Comedy Central Roast. gathers the fragments of a true crime story about young doctor Andrew Bagby and the terrible events surrounding his death. You will grow attached to this family and you will leave the film feeling compelled to act. The result is one of the saddest movies of all time (even the trailer will make you weep) and one of the most disturbing documentaries ever, so grab a box of tissues and read on to relive some of themost compelling aspects of Dear Zachary. WebDear Zachary is the sort of documentary that, in delivering its debilitating news, ensures that every person in the theater leaves their seat with the strongest reminder to continue to cherish those they love, and to reminisce without mercy for those they've loved and lost. Related: 10 Terrifying True Stories of Killers Who Knew Their Victims. I personally would not watch it again, though I'm grateful that the filmmaker stuck with the project through it all and did not give up, as many would have. Dear Zachary, which unfolds chronologically,has not one but two major twists. Dear Zachary decades after the murder of The ultimate tragedy of this story came when Turner, in 2003, jumped into the Atlantic Ocean. https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Zachary-Letter-About-Father/dp/B00MB6F3QW However, Newfoundland Justice Gale Welsh believed Turner, then 40, wasn't a threat to society, despite the murder charges awaiting her in Pennsylvania. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. WebAbout the Filmmaker. Although it's hard to watch, it's a 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. If you know me, I literally cry in every movie I see, so this question was not out of the ordinary. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2008 and received a limited theatrical release before being acquired for distribution by MSNBC. On 23 October 2009, Scott Andrews, then a Liberal MP from Newfoundland and Labrador, introduced Bill C-464, or "Zachary's Bill", which would change the Criminal Code of Canada to allow the courts to justify refusing bail to those accused of serious crimes in the name of protecting their children. 10 Disturbing Documentaries That Are Stranger Than Fiction. WebDear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 American documentary film written, produced, directed, edited, and scored by Kurt Kuenne. Here are some of the topics wed love to hear about: Whether you're an experienced writer or just starting out, we welcome anyone with a passion for writing and a desire to share their perspective. Bagbys parents were forced to give Turner joint custody of Zachary. It's widely believed that if she hadn't been released, Zachary would probably still be alive today. The original cut of the documentary had a run time of over two hours and contains numerous other short scenes, most notably a segment in which Kuenne travels to England to interview Andrew's maternal relatives during a wedding. I think back to the day I met him; the day I started loving someone more than I have ever loved myself. It is about Kuenne's close friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered after Bagby ended a relationship with a woman named Shirley Jane Turner. 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. 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. As Turner was leaving Bagby's apartment to travel home, she decided to turn around. 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. Although Dear Zachary began as a project that was only intended to be shown to friends and family of Andrew Bagby, owing to the way events unfolded, Kuenne decided to release the film to the general public.[9]. Dear Zachary 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. Dear Zachary The main suspect was his ex-girlfriend and Canadian citizen, Shirley Turner. Bagby arrived at work in an "agitated" state and told Simpson about her appearance but dismissed Simpson's advice to not meet with her in private; Bagby subsequently promised to visit Simpson's house after talking to Turner that evening, but he never showed up. I'm grateful this story was told, even if it was painful to experience. After the films release, Kuenne sent four hundred copies of. 12 Documentaries With Twist Endings. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival, and was broadcast by MSNBC on 7 December 2008. Investigators interviewed Turner's shooting instructor, who explained that her handgun ejected live rounds during lessons; this was consistent with an unspent round recovered near Bagby's body. Cataloging the most poignantDear Zachary moments may seem like a fool's errand, but to do so is to engage directly with the documentary's most troubling content. Everyone feels the desire for belonging and to fit in with the people around them. To sign up, email glorie@theodysseyonline.com. The psychiatrist later filed a report with social services, and Turner's children confirmed the allegations. Police concluded that she was attempting to frame the boyfriend for the planned murdersuicide. Andrews parents, David and Kate Bagby, have relocated toCanada to be closer to Zacharyand pursue justice for Andrew. Bagbys childhood friend Kenneth Kuenne made the film as a way to document the memories of Andrews life. After the murder, Turner, now accused of killing Andrew, announces she is four months pregnant with Andrews child. One of Turner's former roommates became so alarmed by Turner's behavior towards her children that heabandoned his tenancy. On 18 August 2003, Zachary was scheduled to be in his mother's custody. People We Want to See on a Comedy Central Roast. In short, when it comes to the genre, I know whats up. The man then broke off the relationship after learning from a friend about Turner's connection to Bagby's murder. Kuennes film transforms into a visual letter to the child that Andrew never got to meet. But heres the plot. A possessive and jealous Turner also confronted Bagby about his friendship with an ex-girlfriend. You may even be procrastinating right now while you read this article! He grew up in Silicon Valley, where at age 7, he met the late Dr. Andrew Bagby, the subject of Dear Zachary. Not only will you gain valuable writing experience, but youll get to choose your own topics and write one response a week to one of our top trending articles. She was raised with three siblings in Wichita, Kansas, but moved to Newfoundland with her mother after her parents separated; the parents later divorced. On November 4, 2006, Dr. Andrew Bagby broke up with his girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Turner. Shortly after she was arrested, she announced that she was pregnant with his child, whom she named Zachary. She arranged to meet Bagby at Keystone State Park that evening, where Bagby was found dead the following morning, having been shot five times.