"Dear Zachary" Murders ~ The Case of a Flawed System Part 3

 

We are now introduced to Andrew David Bagby.  Andrew was born on September 25, 1973 to Kathleen Daphne Bagby (a registered nurse and midwife from Chatham, England UK) and David Franklin Bagby (a former American United States Navy serviceman and computer engineer).

Andrew Bagby was also studying at Memorial University. This was his third year when he began dating Shirley Turner. Andrew originally was from Sunnyvale, California US.

In mid 2000, Shirley Turner moved to Iowa to work for Trimark Physicians Corp. The odd thing was Shirley Turner was offered the surgical residency at the State University of New York Upsate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. She was there from May until her abrupt move in August of 2000. Apparently Shirley and Andrew tried to maintain the long distance relationship with travelling back and forth between their places. (Weirdly, there is an incident of a burglary at Andrew's apartment, and it is believed it was Shirley who did it).

The following autumn, Andrew Bagby moved to  Latrobe, Pennsylvania to work at a family practice. Shirley was up to something because on July 10, 2001, before she even completed her first year of a ten year contract with Trimark, she left the clinic and moved to Council Bluffs in Iowa. She was hired quickly by another medical company. BUT in October 2001, she went and got a firearm permit and purchased a Phoenix Arms HP22 handgun and .22 bullets...

Shirley Turner was back to her old tricks being obsessed with Andrew Bagby. The harassing phonecalls began again, but she took it a step further, telling him she was a few months pregnant. He agreed to meet her, and they only would discuss the baby; although often argung about his new girlfriend. Finally Turner reveals the truth, that she isn't pregnant and Andrew had enough. He drove her to the airport and broke up with her over their lunch; making sure she went on the plane back to Iowa.

(Andrew Bagby had no idea who he was actually dealing with and how much danger he was in. Shirley Turner had completed her firearm training in Omaha).

On November 4, 2001, Shirley Jane Turner drove 16 hours to Latrobe, taking her gun and ammo with her. She made 3 phone calls to his place and in the early morning hours of November 5th, 2001, confronting her ex, once again. Andrew went to work, very upset, promising his supervisor that he would speak to Shirley Turner that night and then he would go to their house... He never showed up!!! In the meantime, Shirley Turner was driving home and had the gall to leave one last message on Andrew's answering machine.

On November 6, 2001, Andrew's body was discovered at Keystone State Park in the parking lot. He was shot 5 times in the face, chest, the butt and back of the head... all were created from a .22 bullet. Simpson immediately informed the police about Shirley Turner and her obsessive erratic behaviour.

Here is where all her web of lies start to scatter...

Shirley Turner was not a very good criminal. She told the authorities that she was in bed all day and night on the 5th because she felt sick; but this was quickly disproven. Phone records and wifi records showed that she was making cross country calls both in Latrobe and when travelling back and forth. She had been on Andrew Bagby's computer and it was from his phone that she called in "sick". 

A second huge discrepency in her story was that she had told the authorities when she had met Andrew at the park, he had put the gun in the trunk; while previously she had reported to her gun instructor that it had been stolen. After a bit more investigating, a witness revealed seeing Turner's vehicle right next to Bagby's. They found a box of condoms in her car that matched a box Andrew Bagby had purchased that very night!!! 

Shirley Turner knew the gig was up, and she fled the United States, returning to her hometown St. John's, NFLD. There had been a warrant issued for her arrest when the State troopers had more than enough proof to pick her up.

(This is where things get really bizarre. I have never read a case that has been so mishandled, resulting in another murder, and a suicide!!!)

On November 12th, 2001 the Pennsylvania State Police and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary's (RNC) Intelligence Unit placed surveillance on Shirley Turner, who was now residing with her eldest son. Shockingly, on December 2, 2001 after rummaging through her garbage, the authorities found an ultrasound picture of a fetus (the ultrasound was dated November 29). Clearly the baby was Andrew Bagby's, and Shirley had only conceived about a month earlier.

(A system fails everyone with dire consequences!!!)

To be continued...