...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
Dear Zachary
- 174 statements
- 33 feature instances
- 1 referencing feature instances
Dear Zachary | type |
TVTItem | |
Dear Zachary | label |
Dear Zachary | |
Dear Zachary | page |
DearZachary | |
Dear Zachary | comment |
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father is a 2008 documentary detailing the life and death of one Dr. Andrew Bagby, a resident at a family practice in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. In November 2001, Bagby was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a local park, to the anguish of many. Suspicion immediately fell on an ex-lover, Shirley Turner, well-known among Andrew's friends and family for her one-sided obsession with Bagby—an obsession that led to her driving sixteen hours back to his home after their final breakup the day before Bagby's body was discovered. Copious evidence against Turner gradually came to light, and suspicion of her was compounded when she fled the country to her home in Newfoundland.Shortly after being taken into custody, Turner announced that she was pregnant with Andrew's child, a boy she named Zachary. Initially, Andrew's close friend Kurt Kuenne, a filmmaker, intended the film as a personal memorial and scrapbook so that Zachary could know the kind of person his father was. However, as events transpired, the focus shifted to the incompetence of the Canadian courts in keeping Turner behind bars, as well as the plight of Bagby's parents, David and Kate, as they battled to get custody of the last remnant of their slain son.Despite being a documentary, this film revolves around a major twist in its second half, and it is recommended that you watch the film first before reading on. Due to the coverage of Real Life events that has been made public since they occurred, Spoilers are off. You Have Been Warned. | |
Dear Zachary | fetched |
2024-04-28T17:47:32Z | |
Dear Zachary | parsed |
2024-04-28T17:47:32Z | |
Dear Zachary | processingComment |
Dropped link to Yandere: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
Dear Zachary | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
Dear Zachary / int_234fa9ba | type |
May–December Romance | |
Dear Zachary / int_234fa9ba | comment |
May–December Romance: Shirley Turner was twelve years older than her boyfriend Andrew Bagby. | |
Dear Zachary / int_234fa9ba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_234fa9ba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_234fa9ba | |
Dear Zachary / int_2364f0d0 | type |
Bail Equals Freedom | |
Dear Zachary / int_2364f0d0 | comment |
Bail Equals Freedom: Despite being a wanted fugitive and a proven flight risk, Shirley Turner, a suspect for murder, was allowed to post bail—which was almost exclusively paid for by her own psychiatrist. After killing herself and Zachary, it was unanimously agreed that it would have never happened had Shirley been denied bail. The Bagbys went on to become activists calling for reformation for bail laws, which would ultimately succeed in Bill C-464, "Zachary's Bill." | |
Dear Zachary / int_2364f0d0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_2364f0d0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_2364f0d0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_237404cc | type |
Ironic Echo | |
Dear Zachary / int_237404cc | comment |
Ironic Echo Justice Gail Welsh justified allowing Shirley to walk because there was "no evidence" of Shirley having mental dysfunctions that made her a danger to society. This quote is repeated over and over as Kuenne describes plenty of evidence of just that: fifteen-minute suicide watch while imprisoned, threatening to stab another inmate, restraining orders against Shirley by eight different people, previously attempting suicide on an ex-lover's property, etc. Kate and David remember that Andrew was born late. This is tragically cut with one of Andrew's friends remembering that he was never late—which is how he knew, when Andrew didn't arrive to his house as planned, that something was terribly wrong. Shirley's message of "Mommy loves you" to Zachary is replayed following The Reveal that she killed him in a murder-suicide. | |
Dear Zachary / int_237404cc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_237404cc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_237404cc | |
Dear Zachary / int_269e82c1 | type |
Death of a Child | |
Dear Zachary / int_269e82c1 | comment |
Death of a Child: The original purpose of the documentary—to provide Zachary Bagby with the true story of his family—is completely undone when Shirley kills Zachary and herself by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. The rest of the documentary details the fallout of this tragedy, including Kate and David's activism changed bail laws for suspects of dangerous crimes. | |
Dear Zachary / int_269e82c1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_269e82c1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_269e82c1 | |
Dear Zachary / int_27ab0123 | type |
Offing the Offspring | |
Dear Zachary / int_27ab0123 | comment |
Offing the Offspring: Zachary ends up killed by his wicked mother to spite his family and the Canadian courts, while also getting away with murdering his father. | |
Dear Zachary / int_27ab0123 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_27ab0123 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_27ab0123 | |
Dear Zachary / int_2e8441c9 | type |
The Bad Guy Wins | |
Dear Zachary / int_2e8441c9 | comment |
The Bad Guy Wins: Thanks to the incompetence of the Canadian courts, not only is Shirley Turner never held accountable for murdering Andrew, but she's allowed to keep primary custody of Zachary, ultimately resulting in his death. David Bagby speculates that this was Shirley's idea of victory: when Andrew and Zachary both rejected her, she punished them. | |
Dear Zachary / int_2e8441c9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_2e8441c9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_2e8441c9 | |
Dear Zachary / int_33029735 | type |
Dies Wide Open | |
Dear Zachary / int_33029735 | comment |
Dies Wide Open: The officer who found Zachary's corpse described him as looking up to the sky. He made sure to wrap Zachary in a blanket (rather than a bag) and kept him as far away from Shirley's corpse as he could. | |
Dear Zachary / int_33029735 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_33029735 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_33029735 | |
Dear Zachary / int_3b23e81 | type |
Plot Twist | |
Dear Zachary / int_3b23e81 | comment |
Plot Twist: When Kurt Kuenne first began making the film, it was with the intent of giving it to Zachary Bagby, to explain who his father was, what happened to him, and everything his friends and family have tried to do for him. Tragically, however, Zachary himself was murdered by his mother as well. The rest of the documentary describes the fallout of Zachary's death, but for his family and for the judicial system. | |
Dear Zachary / int_3b23e81 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_3b23e81 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_3b23e81 | |
Dear Zachary / int_3cb6468e | type |
Bad Liar | |
Dear Zachary / int_3cb6468e | comment |
Bad Liar: Turner claims that she was "home sick" on the day of Andrew's death, despite proof that she had made phone calls along a sixteen-hour route to Andrew's home and back again. When the police found a single live round of .22 at the crime scene, they linked it back to Shirley's own firearm, which her trainer noted was prone to ejecting live ammo. Shirley claimed that she had simply given the gun to Andrew. | |
Dear Zachary / int_3cb6468e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_3cb6468e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_3cb6468e | |
Dear Zachary / int_46c1dc8e | type |
Someone to Remember Him By | |
Dear Zachary / int_46c1dc8e | comment |
Someone to Remember Him By: Following the death of Andrew, Shirley Turner is discovered to be pregnant with his child. A usually heartwarming occurence is made horrifying due to Shirley herself being the one who killed Andrew. | |
Dear Zachary / int_46c1dc8e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_46c1dc8e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_46c1dc8e | |
Dear Zachary / int_479d4e5a | type |
Would Hurt a Child | |
Dear Zachary / int_479d4e5a | comment |
Would Hurt a Child: Shirley kills her own one-year-old baby boy in a murder-suicide. David Bagby speculates that it was her way of punishing Zachary for loving Kate and David more than her. | |
Dear Zachary / int_479d4e5a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_479d4e5a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_479d4e5a | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e3d253b | type |
Downer Ending | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e3d253b | comment |
Downer Ending: Shirley plays the Canadian justice system like a fiddle and keeps Zachary as far from the Bagbys as she can, culminating in her killing Zachary in a murder-suicide. Kate and David thus lose their son and grandson to the same evil woman—and the former might still be alive today had the court system not let Shirley walk free. The only silver lining is that the Bagbys' activism and the eventual turning of a bill they drafted actually becoming law, but it's still meddled by the fact Zachary had to die for the Canadian Justice System to actually do something about it. | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e3d253b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e3d253b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_4e3d253b | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e7c4536 | type |
Wham Line | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e7c4536 | comment |
Wham Line: The documentary was supposed to be for Zachary to learn about his father. But then, halfway through, Shirley disappears with Zachary. Friends and family alike are sent into a panic, until finally: | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e7c4536 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_4e7c4536 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_4e7c4536 | |
Dear Zachary / int_52989fee | type |
Narrator | |
Dear Zachary / int_52989fee | comment |
Narrator: Kuenne himself (he also wrote, directed and composed the soundtrack) describes the events of the Bagbys' tragedy, and explains to the audience that the documentary is not only a remembrance of Andrew and Zachary, but a testament to the strength of Kate and David. Due to his personal connection with what happened, Kuenne audibly chokes up a few times, most notably when describing the bullet wounds inflicted on Andrew and the moment when Shirley jumped into the water with Zachary. | |
Dear Zachary / int_52989fee | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_52989fee | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_52989fee | |
Dear Zachary / int_6774150c | type |
If I Can't Have You… | |
Dear Zachary / int_6774150c | comment |
If I Can't Have You…: David Bagby believes that this is Shirley's motive for both Andrew and Zachary's murders. They both rejected her, and she responded by killing them. | |
Dear Zachary / int_6774150c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_6774150c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_6774150c | |
Dear Zachary / int_6ae4dedd | type |
The Unfair Sex | |
Dear Zachary / int_6ae4dedd | comment |
The Unfair Sex: Apparently, the rationale behind the Canadian legal system's decisions relating to Shirley was that she needed to remain in Zachary's life simply because she was his mother. They were more concerned with protecting her parental rights than with determining whether she was capable of hurting Zachary. | |
Dear Zachary / int_6ae4dedd | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_6ae4dedd | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_6ae4dedd | |
Dear Zachary / int_6b2b3b59 | type |
The Reveal | |
Dear Zachary / int_6b2b3b59 | comment |
Shirley's message of "Mommy loves you" to Zachary is replayed following The Reveal that she killed him in a murder-suicide. | |
Dear Zachary / int_6b2b3b59 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_6b2b3b59 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_6b2b3b59 | |
Dear Zachary / int_71e8a5c5 | type |
Trauma Conga Line | |
Dear Zachary / int_71e8a5c5 | comment |
Trauma Conga Line: The Bagbys' ordeal in a nutshell. First, Andrew Bagby is murdered in premeditated fashion by Shirley Turner; then just as U.S. law enforcement gets an arrest warrant, Turner flees to Canada; then the Bagbys find out that Turner is pregnant with Andrew's child, turning the extradition case into a custody battle as well; then the Bagbys are forced to stand by while the Canadian courts ignore Turner's history of emotional disturbances and let her walk free (with the U.S. still seeking her extradition, mind you) and then give her unsupervised visitation rights to Zachary; and then endure another round of grief when Turner has another psychotic episode and drowns herself in the ocean along with Zachary. | |
Dear Zachary / int_71e8a5c5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_71e8a5c5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_71e8a5c5 | |
Dear Zachary / int_786bf97f | type |
Real Life Writes the Plot | |
Dear Zachary / int_786bf97f | comment |
Real Life Writes the Plot: Andrew's murder occurred prior to filming, obviously, and the film was originally intended as a private home movie for the boy. The story took an extreme turn midway through when Shirley and Zachary died, and Kuenne eventually decided to release it publicly. | |
Dear Zachary / int_786bf97f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_786bf97f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_786bf97f | |
Dear Zachary / int_7870735b | type |
From Bad to Worse | |
Dear Zachary / int_7870735b | comment |
From Bad to Worse: The Bagbys' lives become hell from the second Shirley enters Andrew's life. Their one-sided and obessive "relationship" ends with Shirley killing Andrew. Shirley finds out she's pregnant. The courts allow her to post bail, letting her walk free. The Bagbys have to fight tooth and nail just to see Zachary at all. And finally, tragically, Shirley kills Zachary. | |
Dear Zachary / int_7870735b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_7870735b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_7870735b | |
Dear Zachary / int_8afadb7e | type |
Department of Child Disservices | |
Dear Zachary / int_8afadb7e | comment |
Department of Child Disservices: Not only is Shirley Turner, a suspect for murder, allowed to post bail and walk free, but she's also granted almost full custody of her son despite documented proof of being a dangerous individual. She eventually kills Zachary in a murder-suicide. This resulted in a mass outrage against the Canadian court system. The published Turner Review and Investigation said in no uncertain terms that Zachary's death would have never happened if the courts hadn't allowed Shirley to post bail. | |
Dear Zachary / int_8afadb7e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_8afadb7e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_8afadb7e | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b568cb7 | type |
Posthumous Character | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b568cb7 | comment |
Posthumous Character Kurt Kuenne embarked on the documentary following the murder of his best friend, Andrew. Thus, the film largely revolves around Andrew's death and the impact it had on his friends and family. The documentary was also made with the intention of being given to Andrew's son Zachary to explain the full story of his family. However, the intended audience of the film was tragically killed by his mother, and thus—just like his father—the rest of the film focuses on the impact of his death. | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b568cb7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b568cb7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_8b568cb7 | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b68d9a7 | type |
Stalker with a Crush | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b68d9a7 | comment |
Stalker with a Crush: A fatal example. Turner had eight restraining orders against her, and in one case tried to commit suicide on an ex-boyfriend's porch. In Bagby's case, she drove thousands of miles after Bagby put her on a plane to return to him and kills him upon meeting him. Andrew's friend tried to warn him to stay away from Shirley, but sadly, Andrew still agreed to meet her in private. | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b68d9a7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_8b68d9a7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_8b68d9a7 | |
Dear Zachary / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
Dear Zachary / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: The documentary depicts the living hell laid upon the Bagbys by Shirley Turner. After murdering their only son, she goes on to keep them as far away from their grandson as she possibly can, often only allowing them to be together if she was around—forcing them to play house with their son's murderer. She then murders said grandson in a murder-suicide. | |
Dear Zachary / int_970c790a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_970c790a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_970c790a | |
Dear Zachary / int_a084f0e0 | type |
Never Speak Ill of the Dead | |
Dear Zachary / int_a084f0e0 | comment |
Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Discussed by friends and family interviewed about Andrew, although their memories of him are largely raving. | |
Dear Zachary / int_a084f0e0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_a084f0e0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_a084f0e0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_a70223 | type |
Karma Houdini | |
Dear Zachary / int_a70223 | comment |
Karma Houdini: Shirley Turner not only never sees justice for Andrew's murder, but by committing suicide, she gets away with Zachary's murder as well. The film doesn't mention what consequences Justice Gail Welsh faced for allowing Shirley Turner to walk free, which resulted in Zachary's death. | |
Dear Zachary / int_a70223 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_a70223 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_a70223 | |
Dear Zachary / int_bc03c871 | type |
Child Hater | |
Dear Zachary / int_bc03c871 | comment |
Child Hater: Shirley Turner is recorded as considering children to be a waste of time and money and not being worth the effort, despite having four children. | |
Dear Zachary / int_bc03c871 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_bc03c871 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_bc03c871 | |
Dear Zachary / int_c3c18143 | type |
Hope Spot | |
Dear Zachary / int_c3c18143 | comment |
Hope Spot: Although it comes with strings attached in the form of constantly being around their son's murderer, Kate and David at least succeed in getting some time with Zachary. The fact that Shirley was recorded numerous times as being unable to provide for Zachary (begging David and Kate for food and diapers), also gave hope that they might succeed in winning full custody. This hope is brutally extinguished when Shirley kills Zachary on one of her visitations. | |
Dear Zachary / int_c3c18143 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_c3c18143 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_c3c18143 | |
Dear Zachary / int_c5f0119c | type |
Insane Troll Logic | |
Dear Zachary / int_c5f0119c | comment |
Insane Troll Logic: Justice Welsh's justification for letting Shirley go on bail was that Shirley's crime "though violent [...] was specific in nature." In other words, she only wanted to kill Andrew, she did, and thus she wasn't a danger to anyone else. David Bagby emphasizes this bizarre line of thinking, particularly pointing out that Shirley could very well just find another "specific" target, i.e. anyone who angered her. Tragically, this is proven exactly right when she kills Zachary. | |
Dear Zachary / int_c5f0119c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_c5f0119c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_c5f0119c | |
Dear Zachary / int_d34cbda2 | type |
Implausible Deniability | |
Dear Zachary / int_d34cbda2 | comment |
Justice Gail Welsh justified allowing Shirley to walk because there was "no evidence" of Shirley having mental dysfunctions that made her a danger to society. This quote is repeated over and over as Kuenne describes plenty of evidence of just that: fifteen-minute suicide watch while imprisoned, threatening to stab another inmate, restraining orders against Shirley by eight different people, previously attempting suicide on an ex-lover's property, etc. | |
Dear Zachary / int_d34cbda2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_d34cbda2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_d34cbda2 | |
Dear Zachary / int_d4508136 | type |
There Should Be a Law | |
Dear Zachary / int_d4508136 | comment |
There Should Be a Law: Zachary's death led to an activist movement led by Kate and David themselves to change the law so that suspects of dangerous crimes cannot post bail. They eventually succeeded in the form of Zachary's Bill, which allows courts to refuse bail with the justification of protecting the suspect's children. | |
Dear Zachary / int_d4508136 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_d4508136 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_d4508136 | |
Dear Zachary / int_df410b77 | type |
Decoy Protagonist | |
Dear Zachary / int_df410b77 | comment |
Decoy Protagonist: The original purpose of the documentary was to provide Zachary Bagby with the true story of his parentage and an explanation of everything his grandparents did to protect him. However, following Zachary's death, Kuenne was left to wonder what the point of the documentary was. He realized that it was no longer for Zachary, but for Kate and David, serving as a testament to their strength. | |
Dear Zachary / int_df410b77 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_df410b77 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_df410b77 | |
Dear Zachary / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
Dear Zachary / int_name | comment |
||
Dear Zachary / int_name | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary / int_name | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Dear Zachary / int_name | |
Dear Zachary / int_name | itemName |
Dear Zachary |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
Dear Zachary | hasFeature |
Never Speak Ill of the Dead / int_be575490 |
Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.