Murders of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner
47°30′50″N 52°59′45″W / 47.513769°N 52.995733°W
Zachary Turner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Zachary Andrew Turner 18 July 2002 |
| Died | 18 August 2003 (aged 1) |
| Cause of death | Murder by drowning |
| Resting place | Parson's Pond, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Nationality | American Canadian |
| Other names | Zachary Andrew Bagby |
| Known for | Murder victim |
| Parent(s) | Andrew David Bagby Shirley Jane Turner David Bagby Kate Bagby |
| Murders of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner | |
|---|---|
| Location | Murder of Bagby: Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S. Murder of Zachary: Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Date | Murder of Bagby: 5 November 2001 Murder of Zachary: 18 August 2003 |
Attack type | Murder of Bagby: Murder by shooting Murder of Zachary: Child murder by drowning, infanticide, filicide, murder-suicide |
| Weapon | Murder of Bagby: Handgun |
| Deaths | 3 (including the perpetrator) |
| Victims | Andrew David Bagby, aged 28 Zachary Andrew Turner, aged 1 |
| Perpetrator | Shirley Jane Turner |
| Motive | Unknown, possibly revenge or to escape legal culpability |
| Convictions | John Doucet: Professional misconduct |
| Charges | Murder of Bagby: Shirley Jane Turner: First-degree murder (died before standing trial) |
Zachary Andrew Turner (18 July 2002 – 18 August 2003): 78 was a Canadian child from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, who was killed by his mother, Shirley Jane Turner, in a murder–suicide.: 494 At the time, Shirley had been released on bail and awarded custody of the infant, even though she was in the process of being extradited to the United States to stand trial for the murder of Zachary's father, Andrew David Bagby. The case led to a critical overview of Newfoundland's legal and child welfare systems as well as Canada's bail laws.
A 2006 inquiry found serious shortcomings in how the province's social services system handled the case, suggesting that the judges, prosecutors, and child welfare agencies involved were more concerned with presuming Shirley's innocence than with protecting Zachary. The inquiry concluded that Zachary's death had been preventable. The case led to the passage of Bill C-464, or "Zachary's Bill", strengthening the conditions for bail in Canadian courts in cases involving the well-being of children.
The deaths of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner became the basis for the 2008 documentary film Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, directed by Kurt Kuenne.