To Zachary, please: Without a doubt, one of the most depressing documentaries I’ve ever seen is A Letter to a Son About His Father. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been that impacted by a movie before; when I was watching it, I started crying uncontrollably.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since it hit me in a way I didn’t anticipate.
A heartbreaking turn
To Zachary, please: One of the most engrossing documentaries I’ve ever seen is A Letter to a Son About His Father, and I’m very certain I’m not alone in thinking so. Even though this movie is painful and upsetting, it is mostly a lovely ode to friendship, bravery, and resiliency.
The devastating tale of 28-year-old doctor Andrew Bagby, whose life was brutally cut short by his ex-lover Shirley Jane Turner, is told in Dear Zachary, if you haven’t watched it yet.
When it is revealed that Turner was expecting Andrew’s kid at the time of his death, the movie takes an even more heartbreaking turn. A significant portion of the documentary is on Andrew’s parents, Kate and David Bagby, and their unwavering battle to secure custody of their grandson Zachary and secure his future.
Kurt Kuenne wrote, produced, directed, edited, photographed, and scored the movie, which came out in 2008. Andrew Bagby and Kurt Kuenne grew up next to one other in the peaceful suburbs of San Jose, California.
One of those uncommon, unshakable ties that was forged in the simplicity of shared childhood experiences was their friendship. Their paths entwined in ways that only the closest of friends could comprehend as they navigated life together, until a devastating catastrophe would alter everything.
Andrew Bagby was a medical student when he was born on September 25, 1973, to Kathleen and David Bagby. He started dating Shirley Turner, a recent medical school graduate who was over thirteen years his senior, while he was a student at Memorial University in Newfoundland.
Shirley was disliked by Andrew’s friends, family, and coworkers because of her unsettling demeanor. Shirley’s propensity to make offensive or excessively sexual remarks worried them, and they couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t a suitable fit for Andrew.
Five shots
Nevertheless, they remained silent in respect for Andrew’s decision to continue dating Shirley. They recognized that he might have been searching for someone to replace the vacuum left by his sad breakup with his ex-fiance, and that he hadn’t been in a relationship since. They didn’t want to make his problems worse by interrogating his decisions.
Turner returned to Iowa for her own career after graduating in 2000, while Andrew moved to New York to start a surgical residency. They remained together in spite of the distance.
Andrew, however, believed that a family practice residency in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, would be a better fit for him after becoming dissatisfied with his surgical training in 2001. He was actually extremely happy.
However, Shirley’s growing possessiveness caused Andrew and Shirley’s relationship to worsen over time.
Shirley started taking gun classes and bought a weapon and ammunition in October of that year. She began to become more and more obsessed with Andrew during this period, phoning him frequently and angrily abusing him on the phone.
then went back to Iowa, but then drove back to Latrobe some 1,000 miles later in just two days. She made plans to meet Andrew at Keystone State Park early on November 5. A homeless man who was looking through dumpsters for aluminum cans later that night discovered him dead.
Andrew was shot five times, according to the police, twice in the buttocks, once in the face, once in the chest, and once in the back of the head.
Since the ammo discovered at the scene matched what Shirley Turner had previously purchased, she was implicated right away.
A fresh, startling twist
She claimed to have been bedridden and ill all day on November 5th, but evidence revealed that she had called from Latrobe, called in sick from Andrew’s home phone, and accessed a number of her personal accounts on his computer.
Turner had already escaped to Canada when a warrant for her arrest was issued. She returned to her hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland, after finding out she was a suspect in the murder inquiry. Kurt Kuenne, meanwhile, started interviewing Andrew’s parents, David and Kathleen, and compiling footage from old home videos for a documentary on the life of his late buddy.
The tragic tale will soon take an unexpected turn.
Shirley Turner shockingly revealed at St. John’s that she was expecting Andrew Bagby’s child.
As the extradition process to the United States dragged on, she was shockingly released on bond after being arrested in December 2001. Turner gave birth to a son, Zachary, on July 18, 2002, as her attorneys employed legal technicalities to postpone her extradition.
In an attempt to obtain custody of their grandson, Andrew’s parents, David and Kathleen, relocated to Canada because they were determined to be involved in Zachary’s life. Turner was re-arrested when a provincial court determined in November 2002 that there was sufficient evidence to connect her to Andrew’s murder. Zachary’s custody was awarded to David and Kathleen, but the legal dispute was far from resolved.
A court case
In a surprising turn of events, Turner sent a letter to the judge who had imprisoned her. Unusually, she received legal counsel on how to contest her detention and arrest. Judge Gale Welsh controversially declared that Turner did not represent a threat to society when he granted her bail in January 2003. This meant that Turner was able to reclaim custody of Zachary in spite of the murder conviction, but David and Kathleen were still able to schedule frequent visits.
Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne traveled throughout the United States and the United Kingdom to conduct interviews with Andrew’s friends and extended family for a documentary throughout this court battle. In July 2003, he even traveled to Newfoundland and spent time with Zachary, attempting to piece together the tragic tale of his friend’s life and legacy.
In a devastating murder-suicide on August 18, 2003, Shirley Turner killed herself and her thirteen-month-old baby Zachary by plunging into the Atlantic Ocean. The tragic loss rocked Andrew Bagby’s parents, David and Kathleen, who were angry at the Canadian judicial system for failing to safeguard their grandson in addition to mourning his passing. Believing that Canada’s bail laws had enabled Turner to kill herself and her kid, they started a campaign to change them.
As the extradition process to the United States dragged on, she was shockingly released on bond after being arrested in December 2001. Turner gave birth to a son, Zachary, on July 18, 2002, as her attorneys employed legal technicalities to postpone her extradition.
In an attempt to obtain custody of their grandson, Andrew’s parents, David and Kathleen, relocated to Canada because they were determined to be involved in Zachary’s life. Turner was re-arrested when a provincial court determined in November 2002 that there was sufficient evidence to connect her to Andrew’s murder. Zachary’s custody was awarded to David and Kathleen, but the legal dispute was far from resolved.
A court case
In a surprising turn of events, Turner sent a letter to the judge who had imprisoned her. Unusually, she received legal counsel on how to contest her detention and arrest. Judge Gale Welsh controversially declared that Turner did not represent a threat to society when he granted her bail in January 2003. This meant that Turner was able to reclaim custody of Zachary in spite of the murder conviction, but David and Kathleen were still able to schedule frequent visits.
Kurt Kuenne, who was working on a documentary on Andrew’s life, encountered difficulties when attempting to speak with the judges and prosecutors who were involved in Turner’s release. Nevertheless, the incident spurred a wider discussion. According to a 2006 study by a commission from the Ministry of Justice in Newfoundland, Zachary’s death could have been avoided and the government’s response to the matter was insufficient. The director of Newfoundland’s child protection agency resigned, and Turner’s psychiatrist was found guilty of misconduct for assisting her after she was released on bond.
A Canadian best-seller in 2007, Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss, was written by David Bagby, who was overcome with grief and rage. After working painstakingly to record Andrew’s life, Kurt Kuenne completed his film, which had developed into something much deeper than he could have ever dreamed. The documentary was a heartfelt and unvarnished homage to Andrew and Zachary’s memories.
However, the narrative was about more than simply sorrow; it was about the survivors’ tenacity. Together with their friends and family, David and Kathleen reflect on Andrew and Zachary’s lives as the movie comes to a close. While filming the movie, Kurt came to understand that it was about more than just Andrew’s passing; it was also about the Bagbys’ significant influence on their surroundings. In many respects, the documentary was an homage to their fortitude and tenacity in the face of unspeakable suffering.
The editing of the film presented the most obstacle for me since it changed from being a project meant only for close friends and family to one meant for a large audience. Kurt stated, “I needed to keep the plot going in order to keep the audience interested, but I also wanted them to feel like they knew Andrew and his parents.”
Kurt Kuenne had intended Dear Zachary to be a personal homage, a film scrapbook full of affectionate memories for the son who would never have the opportunity to meet his father, Andrew Bagby.
Kurt conducted interviews with friends, relatives, and people who had known Andrew in order to document their memories of him in a movie that would, in its own unique manner, capture the spirit of his life. What started out as a project for a select group of close friends and family quickly evolved into something far more significant.
Kuenne became aware that this narrative could have a significant impact outside of her own social circle as the sad circumstances involving Andrew and Shirley Turner developed.
He made the brave decision to make the movie available to the public since he realized that Dear Zachary could draw attention to a faulty legal system that had not been able to protect Zachary. Although the response was tremendous, many people found it nearly impossible to handle the sorrow of witnessing such a tragic tale.
The film was visceral, painful, and hard to watch, but it was also a potent force for change.
Kuenne continued after the movie came out. In an attempt to start a much-needed discussion about Canada’s bail legislation, he sent copies of Dear Zachary to each of the 400+ members of Parliament. And it was successful. Avalon MP Scott Andrews was inspired to take action after seeing the movie. He presented Bill C-464, popularly referred to as “Zachary’s Bill,” to the House of Commons on October 23, 2009. The purpose of the bill was to guarantee that children’s safety would always come first in custody cases and bail hearings, particularly where the defendant had been charged with a serious offense.
The failure to protect Zachary prompted discussions on the need for reform in the Canadian legal system, which in turn led to the bill. More than seven years after Zachary’s passing and more than two years after the publication of Dear Zachary, it was signed into law on December 16, 2010, following its introduction to the Senate in March 2010. It was a hard-won win that demonstrated how one movie may alter the direction of legislation and shield future generations of kids from the kind of trauma Zachary experienced.
Despite being extremely difficult for many to watch, Dear Zachary had an indisputable influence. It became a force for change rather than only documenting the lives of a single guy and the death of a kid. The premiere of the movie and the legislation it sparked were evidence of the ability of narrative to effect tangible change, showing that even the most traumatic tales may eventually result in justice and a brighter future for others.
Kuenne’s film is significant because it confronts the harsh truth of loss head-on. In addition to being a documentary about a man’s murder, it delves deeply into how families deal with injustice, loss, and the psychological wounds that persist long after the filming is over. The video serves as both an homage and a call to action because of its honesty and rawness, which serve as a constant reminder of the value of justice, safety, and the enduring ties that bind families.
And the Bagbys are, in my opinion, some of the strongest and bravest people who have ever lived. To battle for what was left of their darling boy, they gave up so much. Their resilience in the face of unfathomable grief is truly remarkable.
I genuinely can’t determine after viewing this whether I’m more upset with Shirley or the system that handled the issue poorly. It’s simply devastating. If only the system had performed as intended.
The movie may be viewed on Amazon Prime and is also available to stream on Pluto TV. Please spread the word about this article so that more people can learn about this deeply painful yet significant tale.
