"Dear Zachary" Murders ~ The Case of a Flawed System ~ CONCLUSION & AFTERMATH

 

We left off with the brutal shooting of Andrew Bagby and the alleged murderer managing to elude authorities, leaving the US and returning to her homeland of Canada...

Shirley Turner was arrested on December 12th, 2001 and the US authorities were preparing her for extradition but they were denied. Justice Gale Welsh felt that Shirley Jane Turner was NOT a threat to society and was released from Her Majesty's Penitentiary's Clareville Correction Centre for Women.

Shirley was ordered to turn in her passport and would have to visit the RNC once a week, promising to remain there and not make any attempts to speak to anyone in Andrew Bagby's family. There was a $75,000 bail, which was posted by none other than John Doucet, her psychiatrist as well as former co-worker from Memorial.

Now that everyone knew Shirley was pregnant, it wasn't just about extradiction, it had now become a custody battle. Andrew's parents, Kathleen and David Bagby moved to St John's NFLD to fight for custody of their deceased son's baby. All the struggles and life changes they had to make while Shirley Turner just carried on with her own life.

On July 18, 2002 Shirley Turner and Andrew Bagby's baby boy arrived. He is named Zachary Andrew Turner (Bagby). Shirley refused to allow his grandparents to see him, citing she worried they were going to kidnap him. It became increasingly clear that she didn't have much of a motherly instinct, and her son often rejected her; preferring his paternal grandparents over her... so much so that on his first birthday, Shirley told them that Zacharay obviously loved them more than her so they should take him. Which they gladly did!!!

In November 2002, Shirley was placed back in custody, awaiting on whether she should be extradicted to the US, but the same Justice Welsh released her again, saying that the murder she allegedly committed is not and never was directed at the public, and that she was to remain innocent until proven guilty. She was released AGAIN!!!

It becomes increasingly clear that Shirley Turner was a very obsessed and possessive woman. She dated a man for a very short time in July 2003; but he left her after he heard the news of her involvement with Andrew Bagby's death. She began calling him, with a total of 200+ threatening calls within a month!!! He DID report the harassment as this went against her court restricted bail conditions; but because he didn't want to reveal who he was, this was never pursued.

On August 18th, 2003, Shirley Turner had a scheduled visit with her son, Zachary; but before she went to pick up her young toddler, she picked up her prescription for lorazepams. She picked up Zachary and took him for a drive down to Conception Bay South. This was the same area of the man she had briefly dated recently...

Shirley, out of spite, left her vehicle parked near his home with pictures of her and Zachary, along with a bloody tampon (sorry, but this is an important piece to include)... It appears she did this in order to frame her ex boyfriend for what was about to come....

Shirley Turner did the unthinkable next. 

She mixed a deadly concoction of her lorazepams (Ativan) into Zachary's formula, and took a lethal dosage herself.  She strapped the young boy to her chest, using her sweater. She jumped off a fishing wharf into the bitterly cold Atlantic Ocean causing them both to drown. I guess the little bit of solace the family MIGHT feel is that Zachary was rendered unconscious from the medications even before the jump, so it is deduced that he did NOT suffer!!!

Shirley Turner's body was found on the beach, by vacationers and Zachary Andrew Turner Bagby was found a short distance away.

AFTERMATH

On May 3, 2006, Psychiatrist John Doucet was found guilty of professional misconduct when he chose to get involved in the criminal case, and post bail for the very disturbed Shirley Turner. He was fined and court ordered to go to counselling himself. It is cited that John Doucet has left Newfoundland and is now resided in another part of Canada.

(I am glad that someone stepped in and made ALL those accountable for this tragedy...)

In October 2006, through a thorough investigation by the province of Winnipeg, it was presented that Zachary's death was preventable and should never have happened, had NFLD and Labrador's social service system actually done their job!!! 

There was ZERO evidence that anyone was watching over Shirley and her son. It seemed like the courts and laws were far more concerned with Shirley Turner's innocence than the welfare of a poor, defenseless child/infant. It was suggested that the lack of communication and the disagreements should have forced the agency to bring in a third, unbiased party to handle the case.

On October 23, 2006, the government of Canada introduced Bill C-464 aka Zachary's Bill... this bill changed the Criminal Code of Canada to let courts refuse bail for those who are accused of serious crimes, int he name of protecting children. It was noted that this may give the Bagby's a sense of peace and that someone IS listening to them; knowing this should not and cannot happen to another child!!!

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