Truly scary reading. While studying in Newfoundland, Canada, Bagby began a relationship with Shirley Turner, a twice-divorced general practitioner thirteen years his senior. [21] Andrews was moved to create the bill after attending a screening of the film. She named the little boy Zachary. Dear Zachary A Letter to A Son About His Father (DVD) : Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne begins making a film for Zachary, son of his oldest friend who was murdered by Zachary's mother. The bill became law in December 2010. Having lost their only child and their only grandchild, the Bagbys had more-than-casual thoughts about taking their own lives. After Canadian mother killed herself and their only grandchild, U.S. couple started 10-year fight to change Canada's bail laws, tap here to see other videos from our team. [23], On April 4, 2013, a short documentary titled The Legacy of Dear Zachary: A Journey to Change Law was released on YouTube by Kuenne. He also tapped Ottawa-based lobbyist and public relations consultant Gord McIntosh to spread the word. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne's poignant tribute to his murdered childhood friend, Andrew Bagby, tells the story of a child custody battle between the baby's grieving grandparents and Shirley Turner, Bagby's pregnant ex-girlfriend and suspected killer. [9], 2008 American documentary film directed by Kurt Kuenne, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father", "The Story of Kate, David and Andrew Bagby", "No need for Zachary Turner to die: death review", "Doctor fined for ethical violation in Turner case", "Family services manager resigns post, days after Turner review", "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)", "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father Reviews", "Variety Reviews - Dear Zachary A Letter to a Son About His Father - SXSW Reviews - Review by Peter Debruge", "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father [DVD]", "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father - 10th Anniversary Edition [DVD]", "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father - 10th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dear_Zachary:_A_Letter_to_a_Son_About_His_Father&oldid=983618940, Documentary films about crime in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 October 2020, at 07:54. But two months later, in January 2003, an appeal court judge, Gail Welsh, agreed to release Turner and reunite her with Zachary. Turner drove almost 1,000 miles back to Pennsylvania overnight, and asked Bagby to meet her at Keystone State Park. She named the little boy Zachary. “DEAR ZACHARY is one of the best documentaries you will see and it may actually be the best that I’ve EVER seen. It draws on interviews with friends, family members, and former colleagues about his life, with the focus on his alleged killer, ex-girlfriend Shirley Turner. Directed by Kurt Kuenne. In jail, Turner wrote to a judge and, contrary to normal legal procedure, received advice on how to appeal her arrest and imprisonment. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew's oldest friend, began making a film for little Zachary as a way for him to get to know the father he'd never meet. She named the little boy Zachary. [9] It was screened at Cinequest Film Festival, South by Southwest, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival, the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, the Calgary International Film Festival, and the Edmonton International Film Festival, among others, before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United States, opening in one city at a time in select metropolitan areas. In early 2009, Kuenne sent out letters to every member of Parliament and senator offering to screen the film for them. The website has copies of the Canadian investigation and it reads like a crime novel. They’ve retired, hang out with friends and travel a bit, David Bagby said. Even if this law had been in place 10 years ago, would it have made a difference? How did this loon become a fucking doctor? A panel convened by Newfoundland's Ministry of Justice agreed, releasing a report stating that Zachary's death had been preventable and that the government's handling of Turner's case had been inadequate. It’s my responsibility.”. Zachary Allen Huss, 26, of Rehoboth Beach passed away Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, after a battle with addiction. Later that year, in the early hours of Aug. 18, 2003, Turner drove herself and Zachary to the town of Conception Bay South. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne, Andrew's oldest friend, began making a film for little Zachary as a way for him to get to know the father he'd never meet. But when Shirley Turner was released on bail in Canada and was given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the U.S., the film's focus shifted to Zachary's grandparents, David & Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy from the woman they knew had murdered their son. The Society of Professional Journalists presented it with its Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Television Documentary (Network), it received the Special Jury and Audience Awards at the Cinequest Film Festival, it was named an Audience Favorite at Hot Docs, it received the Audience Awards at the St. Louis International Film Festival and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, it was named Best Documentary at the Orlando Film Festival and was awarded with the jury award for best international documentary at Docville (Belgium). She named the little boy Zachary. Join the mailing list to receive daily email updates. I feel "Blessed" to have seen this documentary on TV. One of the Best Films of 2008 Dear Zachary: a letter to a song about his father ... Kate and Dave to "Zachary's beach," as his grandparents fondly call the stretch of ocean in Conception Bay South where Zachary's lifeless body washed ashore last August. Shortly after she was arrested as a suspect, Turner announced that she was pregnant with Bagby's child, a boy she named Zachary. Zachary’s mother, Newfoundland native Dr. Shirley Turner, accused of murdering the baby’s father, was fighting extradition to the U.S. All these years later, David Bagby’s voice still trembles with anger. After she reached St. John's, Shirley Turner revealed that she was pregnant with Bagby's child. Funeral Home Services for Zachary are being provided by Fuller Funeral Home Inc. But David Bagby admits a question lingers. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. They’ve set up a “mini shrine” in the family room that includes Andrew’s favourite lava lamp, pictures and memory boxes put together by his friends. It is believed she fed Zachary up to 30 tablets of Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, before leaping off the end of a wharf into the ocean. Totally tragic and horrifying. “Like wartime, you don’t have a choice, the enemy’s over there, go get ’em.”. "[13], The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named the film one of the five top documentaries of the year. But when Shirley Turner was released on bail in Canada and was given custody of Zachary while awaiting extradition to the U.S., the film's focus shifted to Zachary's grandparents, David & Kathleen Bagby, and their desperate efforts to win custody of the boy from the woman they knew had murdered their son.