The album includes "Andrew", the 8 minute concert work Kurt wrote and recorded in Andrew's memory in 2002. | Learn more about Tessa Bagby's work experience, education . David and Kate Bagby moved to St. John's. They forged a relationship with the woman they believed killed their son so they could see Zachary, their only grandchild. MORRISON: But she was allowed to go back to Newfoundland? Kathryn Schulz, reviewing Making a Murderer recently inThe New Yorker, described howtrue-crime projects can allow for bias to masquerade as objectivity and for people (particularly victims and their families) to be reduced to plot points. Screening next at DocuWeek, the International Documentary Association's Theatrical Documentary Showcase. Did. I mean, we would never, disagree with her or fight with her about anything unless there was real. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. But how? The Best Man - NBC News And so, on August 18, 2003, Shirley Jane Turner kills Zachary. The tragedy here is that even if you do see it coming, that still doesnt mean you can stop it. I said, `Find her, and I think you'll find who did this.'. Hoping to gain custody of the child, the Bagbys moved to Newfoundland. He had been shot five times and the No. (Driving through rainy street; correctional facility sign; Andrew; Kurt, Unidentified Woman #8: They would drive two hours to the jail. How do you represent anguish of that magnitude without turning it into a Greek tragedy? We're churning. Click HERE for ticket information. KATE: On Sunday night I got out of bed and prayed because I thought Andrew was at risk. And if that picture never reveals itself, it feels like a letdown, not a tragedy. This is the attention thing I was talking about. I promise within the first five minutes you will be captured by it and you won't be able to tear yourself away. The bill now moves to the Senate where it is expected to be embraced in a similar fashion. 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. But he was moved to honor his friend the best way he knew how, by making a film. Its hard to imagine a well-crafted rendition being as powerful.). The good life started in earnest when Kate first laid eyes on Petty Officer David Bagby, who was serving on the USS Hornet, docked in Long Beach in 1967. then one day I realized what it was. If she had her way, we would not have had any visitation at, MORRISON: Coming up, fighting not just to see their grandson, but. And in that way this tragedy remains hers and hers alone. MORRISON: In Kurt Kuenne's documentary, Clark Simpson, one of Andrew's close friends at the hospital, remembers that November morning just two weeks later when Shirley surprised Andrew again. Mr. BAGBY: The police didn't give us very much information, but they started. MORRISON: The Bagbys said that Shirley would later apologize for, her reaction. There won't be any question about, whether she can hurt him. That's what Kurt does, he's an independent filmmaker. The documentary was originally released in 2008. 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. Thought, you know, `Who would want to kill him?'. When he returned to the States, Shirley showed up soon after. Are you having a good day with grandmom and. thoughts, his wife sees something that rocks her to the core. Typically, we meet the victim not as a person but as a dismantled puzzle to be put back together by the canny viewer, who is likewise appealed to not as a person hearing about a human catastrophe but as an analytical machine capable of sorting and weighing the relevant facts. Mr. KUENNE: He liked playing bad guys a lot. May 16, 2008: 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. You were done. 2023 Cond Nast. In initial questioning, Turner claimed to have been home sick in Iowa when Bagby was shot, but cell-phone records showed her placing calls along the thousand-mile highway route between Council Bluffs and Latrobe in the days before and after the murder. Welcome back toCold Comforts, a recurring column in which Soraya Roberts writes about the grim, harrowing, and downright bizarre movies and television shows that she nevertheless cant stop watching, over and over again. Nobody drives 16 hours after you've just broken up with them.' Then, in August 2003, Shirley killed herself and the one-year-old Zachary by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. The bill is called C-464 - An Act to amend the Criminal Code (justification for detention in custody). Unidentified Man #24: Two I have ever known. Bring lots of kleenex and prepare to be equally angry and emotionally drained as you watch real, so-called justice in action. (Photo of Kate, Zachary and Shirley; photo of David, Zachary and Shirley; photo of Shirley and Zachary; photos of Zachary with Shirley and Kate), Mr. BAGBY: Our usual policy was just to let her go. Click HERE for assistance. However awkward Shirley Turner made it, they were sweet, cooperative. She was deranged. One of the first to meet Zachary was, (Photo of Zachary Turner; wedding dance; photo of Shirley and Zachary; photo. MORRISON: So different from who Andrew really was, a kind, devoted son who made Eagle Scout at 15. It brings its own special brand of. Mr. BAGBY: Oh, yeah. MORRISON: But was that what you assumed had happened? She. Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Well, I have that for protection. She has to veer away from the image and instead see him as a living being. And we came back. And he's like, `I'm not looking for anything serious. If you were waiting to find out where exactly the comfort was in this litany of suffering, it is in Bagbys parents. . GARDNER: (Audio recording) I'm not going to kid you, Doctor. Then the questioner got choked up.the best thing I've seen in Austin (at SXSW)." The amount of the award will be variable, but is expected to be in the range of $1,000. Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. When Kuenne narrates the particulars of the crime, the evidence, or the legal proceedings, his voiceover shifts to a stylized, rapid-fire clip, making it easy for the audience to miss key details. Memorial University Medical School. This is not the worst instance in this story of someone seeing something bad coming but not being able to stop it. They recorded them. I had a husband I loved. `You gave me a lovely son, and now it's over.'. Very, very serious. Mr. BAGBY: And part of Andrew's problem was, I think, he was just too nice to say, you know, `Get the hell out of my life. MP Andrews was inspired to create Bill C-464 after seeing Dear Zachary for the first time in March; he and Senator Tommy Banks distributed DVDs of Dear Zachary to every member of the House of Commons for their review immediately following the December 4th discussion. He travelled across the country, and to England, to collect these reminiscences, which reveal Bagby to be a caring physician and a beloved and charismatic goofball. He was such a good baby. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a son about his father MORRISON: Kurt and Andrew grew up together in Northern California, where the fledgling director gave Andrew starring roles in some of his earliest ventures. MORRISON: Shirley also claimed to have been at home in Iowa, sick in bed the day of the murder. David R. Bagby Born: July 2, 1957 in Joliet, IL Died: January 5, 2022 in Statesville, NC David R. Bagby, 64 of Statesville, NC and formerly of Streator passed away Wednesday (January 5,. I can understand that. And we, would have agreed to anything. The Bagbys went to the morgue to identify their bodies. It was made to tell a story and to capture forever the life of one man and the many people he touched. The news and opinions youll love for only $10 for 1 year. MORRISON: Police got Shirley Turner on the phone back in Iowa. kind of the only way that this little boy is going to get to know his dad. Thought that maybe he had found somebody that he could really be happy with. Unidentified Man #25: I love them very much. Cpl. Slamdance Film Festival book signing! Well, I was hurt in an, accident. Mr. BAGBY: That's one of the options, and that's the one we hoped for. (Photo of Shirley; "Canada" on building; T.J. Shears walking), Mr. T.J. SHEARS: My mom was just like, `Oh, hey.' Mr. BAGBY: Yes. The strange allure of Robert Durst and The Jinx.. They did their best to keep their dark feelings about their son's accused. 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. The International Film Music Critics also nominated his musical score for Best Documentary Score of 2008. They watched the legal proceedings grind, infuriating and slow. MORRISON: But then she claimed she couldn't find it. I'm just curious Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Yeah, and I wanted to know for safety. December 4, 2008: Kate & David Bagby will now be called as witnesses before the committee, the bill will be revised and strengthened, and eventually brought back into the House and Senate for a vote. 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. We were done," Kate Bagby said, finishing her husband's thought, a quirk of their relationship that became apparent during a several-hour recount of how their lives spiraled out of control after that phone call from police. Do you understand? Mr. SHEARS: She's kind of reliving a university life again. He says his mother was so often, unavailable, especially from the time she started medical school. They still have friends in the province, people Kate said they wouldnt have survived without. Its a muddled structure, and the film makes frequent aesthetic missteps as well, with frenetic editing, canned music, and heavy-handed imagery. Former Production Manager at Mountain Gospel Radio. The bond between, Zachary and his grandparents grew and grew, and Shirley noticed, even from, KATE: (Audio recording) I think it was one time we were on the phone or, KATE: (Audio recording) Yeah, the baby cried, and I said, `Oh, there's my, Ms. TURNER: (Audio recording) Yeah, `Oh, my baby. August 5, 2008: Lastly, Dear Zachary was screened in Ottawa on March 11, 2009 for various members of Parliament and their staff; as a result, a small but committed group of Parliamentarians are now drafting a bill based on the issues raised in the film. The reason we go through the lawyers is so that we. decision. He said, `Well, it's 4:30 now. The Bagbys couldn't have been happier, particularly since. KATE: I thought, `Well, he's got to get out of this.'. Every last person who steps foot into a theater to see this will walk away changed. David was a . At one point, one friend says that if he had one tenth of the people who cared about him half as much as they do about Bagby, he would be happy. Mr. SHEARS: Mm, yeah. After Newfoundland woman killed their son and grandson, California Kate & David Bagby will now be called as witnesses before the committee, the bill will be revised and strengthened, and eventually brought back into the House and Senate for a vote. MORRISON: Zachary fell asleep in his car seat. T.J. and his girlfriend went to bed. With that kind of goodness, there is no limit to the possibility of transcending all manner of evil. Mr. KUENNE: I think he was a little scared of me when I first came up. It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. The couple was also involved in a support group for parents of murdered children and sat through three murder trials to try and help other surviving parents deal with their incredible grief. Or it's in the car. While that change felt good, David wanted more. On Nov. 5, Kate, who is originally from England, pictures Turner sitting on top of a Guy Fawkes bonfire and her family all around it with fireworks. One for such a wonderful young man that you raised. They quit their jobs and moved from California to Newfoundland. I, Mr. BAGBY: (Audio recording) Look, we will do what is best for Zachary. And I prayed to God to be looking after him. Kuenne is able to capture the true nature of love and dedication in a way I have never seen. He was like, `Eh, mm.' "This is the purest, most intensely raw film I have ever seen of any kind, dramatic or nonfiction. Also foreshadowing is how long it takes Andrews parents, Kate and David, to wade through various levels of bureaucracy to confirm his death. Dear Zachary had its Canadian premiere at the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto, where it was welcomed by a line down the street and around the block to get in. All rights reserved. Simpson advised his friend to call the cops and to not under any circumstances meet Shirley Jane Turner alone.