Zachary Turner Dance With The Devil

Zachary Turner's death was avoidable. Through David Bagby's novel “Dance with the devil”, we learn about the horrific ordeal David and his wife Kathleen (Kate) experience not only after their son named Andrew was murdered by his girlfriend Shirley Turner but also the news that Shirley was pregnant with Andrew's son. Together the audience embark on a journey with Kate and David to seek justice for both Andrew and their grandson Zachary.

“Everything was perfect”. Andrew was a successful Doctor at Latrobe in Pennsylvania and he was surrounded by his family and friends who loved him dearly.
However, in 1999 things changed. He met a lady named Shirley Turner and began a relationship with her. Despite Andrew's family and friends being suspicious

of Shirley because of her obsessive nature and mental outbursts, David states that “Andrew believed that he could not do any better than Shirley”. He saw through her negative traits and became 'trapped' in relationship with her. On the 5th of November, 2001, right after a rough break-up with Shirley, Andrew's body was found with “five gun shot wounds” in Keystone state park Pennsylvania. Shirley was found guilty but not sentenced. Instead she was charged “$75000 for bail, of which, none was paid”. David states that this was because the judge believed that there was “No indication of physiological disorder that would give concern to the public” and that “As her crime, while violent, was specific in nature”. This is so insensitive. Shirley should not have been able to 'walk freely on the streets'. She took an innocent persons life and tore his family apart. She had the motive to shot at Andrew not once but “five times”. She was out of control. This is a key sign that questions Shirley's metal health. No murderer should ever be 'set-free' without some form of imprisonment, education or mental help.

Shirley had a rough past before she met Andrew. David Bagby reveals that “Shirley's parents separated when she was about seven years old and she went to live with her mother”. Unfortunately Shirley “did not get along with her mother” and so she spent a lot of time with her stepfather. When her stepfather died, “she needed someone to talk to” A good listener, someone like Andrew. It seems that after her stepfather died, Shirley struggled with trusting people and maintaining relationships. After two divorces and the losses of custody battles for her children from other marriages, her mental outbursts began. I believe that Shirley's mental outbursts were triggered by low self esteem from her past and also perhaps jealousy towards people who were 'better off' than her. I gathered a sense of this jealousy when I read a statement from Andrew that has been quoted in the novel. According to Andrew, “Shirley called herself a welfare brat and declared that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth”. It is clear that Shirley wasn't as well off as Andrew. However, she was much better off than many other people in the world. This statement is unfair, exaggerated and shows how narrow minded Shirley was. In New Zealand when crimes have been committed, the Courts do have to consider the perpetrators past. This is so crucial because a person in not simply 'born evil'

David and Kate Bagby were not given custody of Zachary.

Instead he was kept in the unpredictable care of Shirley. She was strict with the allowances of time David and Kate could spend with him and made sure that they were under supervision when visiting him because she believed that David and Kate would “say something to Zachary”. Essentially Kate and David were treated as though they were the 'criminals'. As Zachary grew older, it became evident that he was unattached from his mother. David states that “right from the time he could choose, he always chose Kate”. He then explains how Shirley told them “He's (Zachary) too happy Kathleen” and “He loves you more than me. Why don't you take him?”. These observations fueled Shirley's insecurity led her to manipulate things into thinking that Zachary's relationship with his grandparents was having a negative impact on her and Zachary's relationship. David Bagby describes how “Shirley began to call on a regular basis”. This was to express her concerns regarding Kate and David's influence on Zachary. The close bonds they were making with Zachary was pushing Shirley towards breaking point. On the 18th of August 2003, it was announced that Shirley and Zachary were missing. Later that day they were both found dead. David retells how “Shirley took a prescription of Ativan ... mixed it into Zachary's formula and then took some herself...She then walked to the edge of a pier with Zachary strapped to her stomach with a sweater and jumped into the Atlantic Ocean”. I cannot even begin to imagine and understand the emotions of grief, anger and revenge David and Kate would have felt after Zachary's death. All that they had was taken away from them. Their future family line of Bagby's had ended. David states that he “trusted the Government to do it's job”. And they failed. The Court system failed. The Child protection services failed. Nobody with authority was there to protect Zachary. His death was avoidable. If the government had

done their job and removed him from Shirley the moment he was born and Shirley was convicted for the murder of Andrew, then Zachary would still be alive today. It seems as though the Government disregarded Zachary. In New Zealand, people can get protection services. However, often they can be inefficient or by the time action towards getting protection is taken, it is too late.