Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Kurt Kuenne’s documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father revisits Andrew Bagby’s murder by alleged killer Shirley Turner. Kuenne, Bagby’s close friend, started filming the documentary after his 2001 murder. He later learned that Andrew Bagby’s supposed killer, Shirley Turner, was pregnant with his son, Zachary. Following this, Dear Zachary became a video diary so Kuenne could introduce Zachary to his father.
Reportedly, Shirley Turner, the accused killer of Andrew Bagby, shot him five times in a Pennsylvania park in November 2001. Turner and Bagby dated and had broken up only two days before the murder, reported The New Yorker. A subsequent investigation implicated the former in the crime. However, she fled to Canada and gave birth to Bagby’s son, Zachary, in July 2002.
Dear Zachary chronicles the legal battles after Andrew Bagby’s murder in detail that concluded in a tragic murder-suicide. Meanwhile, Turner never faced justice for the crimes.
Dear Zachary: What happened to Andrew Bagby’s alleged killer Shirley Turner?
Andrew Bagby’s accused killer, Shirley Turner, died in a murder-suicide before facing just for her crimes, per National Post. In the months after Zachary’s birth, Turner fought her U.S. extradition to stand trial on murder charges after fleeing to Newfoundland, Canada. Moreover, she was embroiled in a custody battle with Bagby’s parents, who also moved to the area to secure Zachary’s custody. David Bagby would later write a book about their experience and also appear in the Dear Zachary documentary.
Then, in November 2002, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland ordered Turner to return to custody. She remained in custody while the federal justice minister decided on her extradition to U.S. authorities. Two months later, an appeal court judge approved her release because “it was not directed at the public at large.” The judge added, “There is no indication of a psychological disorder that would give concern about potential harm to the public generally.”
Later, on August 18, 2003, Shirley Turner took Zachary to the Conception Bay South. There, she fed the 13-month-old boy Ativan tablets and jumped into the ocean, murdering the boy and killing herself. Both drowned and died in the incident. According to CBC News, an Ontario couple found Turner’s body on the beach while walking their dog.
Reportedly, Kurt Kuenne filmed Dear Zachary as a video diary that he wanted Andrew Bagby’s son Zachary to grow up watching. He claimed, “I have a lot of documentary filmmaker friends and back when (Zachary was still alive)” who “knew what was happening.”
Kuenne said, “They were saying, ‘Man, this is the most insane story I’ve ever heard. You’ve got to release this publicly.'” However, he disagreed with the idea, thinking, “Zachary’s going to have enough trouble growing up when he learns that his mother killed his father.” He claimed he did not want to put “his private life all over the media.” He added, “But once there was no him to protect anymore, suddenly I realized I kind of have to release this publicly. It’s my responsibility.”
The documentary comprises memories and tributes from Andrew Bagby’s friends and family. It highlights the need for reforms in the U.S. and Canadian legal systems and how Zachary’s death could have been prevented.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father first premiered in the U.S. on MSNBC in 2008. The following year, the film made its debut in Dublin during the Stranger Than Fiction festival. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
