In 1992 A made-for-TV movie was made based on both Jerry's story She always proclaimed her innocence. They had shocked James Nelson. 1 Bakgrunn; 2 Innhold; . Still, she had never forgotten the case. Read more about this topic: Murder Of Dennis Jurgens, But Ive heard mankind abuse thee;And perhaps its rather strange,But I thought that I would choose theeFor encomium, as a change.Charles Stuart Calverley (18311884), Mily: You must remember me! On Nov. 28, 1962, members of the Scott and Ramsey counties welfare departments, including Rekdahl, had a conference in the town of Shakopee. Rekdahl was developing real doubts about this placement, but the Jurgenses decided to go see Dennis that afternoon. remarkable Beverly D'Angelo as Jerry Sherwood
He feared finding himself alone. People were not then inclined to believe that middle-class families in suburban homes killed their children. The two also teased what's in store for readers . English At the urging of authorities, Jerry placed Dennis for adoption after being told that he would receive good care.[1]. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Lois Jurgens, 62, of Stillwater, chewed gum impassively as the jury announced its verdict, finding her guilty of third-degree murder in the 1965 death of her adopted son, Dennis. About 50 witnesses provided a mixed story. When Dennis Jurgens died at the age of 3 in 1965, authorities here never ruled whether his death was an accident, a homicide or the result of natural causes. You do consider social attitudes. In 1992 A made-for-TV movie was made based on both Jerry's story and this case called, ' A Child Lost Forever ' w/ the remarkable Beverly D'Angelo as Jerry Sherwood and Judith Ivey as Lois Jurgens. They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. Harold's testimony in 1965 showed he was in Wisconsin from the evening of Friday, April 9, until 9 or 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 10. According to sworn testimony by both Korolchuk and VanderWyst before a grand jury last year, Zerwas at the time warned the investigating officers that he would do everything in his power to keep his sisters name clear. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (August 12, 1925 - May 7, 2013) was an American convicted murderer responsible for one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. She thought Dennis too aggressive, his wild behavior quite unlike Roberts. Donohue, their attorney, had allowed Lois before the hearing to be examined by a psychiatrist only under the strictest conditions. The hearing would prove to be a curious affair. She thought the postplacement period had been quite successful. After all, Dorothy Engfer more than once had seen Lois smack Dennis so hard the blood flowed from his nose, and Gladys DeMars had watched Dennis over two summers wither from a husky, jolly baby to a wan little boy covered with bruises and black eyes and split lips. If I had it to do over again--well, in 1987 I wouldnt approve, but if it were 1965, I dont know what I would do. While visiting one Thanksgiving, she saw Lois force-feed Dennis, in a highchair, by shoving a fork full of food into his mouth. Novel and Adaptations: Barry Siegel's true-crime novel A Death in White Bear Lake recounts the story via extensive research and oral history.
Deferred, Votel had written. Four days after he drafted this analysis, on April 30, he and VanderWyst were pulled off the case. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Forever' w/ the It was awful. He was frequently starved, to rid him of "sloppy fat," as Lois called it (she also called him "Sloppy Fat" as a nickname). A Death in White Bear Lake er en sann krimbok av journalisten Barry Siegel, utgitt i 1990, som forteller om drapet p Dennis Jurgens. 0 cemeteries found in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA. Jurgens was the only fatal victim of Lois Jurgens, his adoptive mother and a prolific child abuser, who abused a total of six adopted children from 1950 to 1970. This account has been disabled. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. This woman was no crank. She believed that Lois Jurgens was accepting and embracing Dennis, and he seemed healthy and adjusted. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. She was right. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. Basically, she thought that Lois was content and happy, especially with Robert. The case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake.
| I have never seen anything like that done.. By the second week, the investigation began to encounter obstacles. The topic under consideration was the possible placement of Dennis Puckett with the Jurgens family. I thought the burn accident was a weird story when she told it, but again, there just was not that level of awareness, things didnt get referred. Free shipping for many products! Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. Korolchuk wondered: Why wasnt a doctor called to the home in the day before Dennis died, when he must have been extremely and obviously ill? Lois Jurgens had a reputation amongst her extended family and neighbors as an intense, angry woman with a short and volatile temper, but Dennis' arrival in her home provoked sadistic rages that targeted Dennis as he aged from one to three-and-a-half years of age. Several relatives now told the investigators they would not sign statements. Heroes abound now in White Bear Lake, visible and proud of their roles in unraveling the mystery of Dennis death. There was a television movie broadcast in 1992 on NBC entitled A Child Lost Forever that told the story from the perspective of Jerry Sherwood (played by Beverly D'Angelo). Learn how and when to remove this template message, "ANGELIZD's Place - Child Abuse Pages - Dennis Craig Jurgens", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lois_Jurgens&oldid=1133446799, Articles lacking in-text citations from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 21:13. In early December, 1963, Rekdahl paid her last postplacement visit to the Jurgenses. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens (August 12, 1925 May 7, 2013) was an American convicted murderer[1] responsible for one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. You couldnt get action from the prosecutor and police. The autopsy report mentioned bruises head to toe. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Prosecutors contended little Dennis died after numerous beatings and abuse, which including making the child eat food covered with horseradish and tying him spread-eagle in his crib. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Its easy today to say, Why didnt they prosecute? but it was a different time, a different time. Petersburg, ILLois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Robert was leaving things alone at the age of 1 year. Lois Jurgens had a reputation amongst her extended family and neighbors as an intense, angry woman with a short and volatile temper, but Dennis' arrival in her home provoked sadistic rages that targeted Dennis as he aged from one to .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}3+12 years of age. HH at the best online prices at eBay! There is some suspicion that Lois Jurgens herself set the fire, given that it occurred while Robert was hospitalized, and that Lois had been known to threaten burning down the homes of several neighbors and family members who had spoken to authorities. Aided by the testimony of the Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, At first Bob Brass thought the squad car was Loiss brothers, but then they saw VanderWyst in the driveway. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Donna Neely wondered, as she studied the Jurgenses now-silent house from her front window. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed . Due to this frequent starvation, Dennis gained only three pounds in a two and a half-year period as he aged from one year old to three and a half years old. Then he began to look terrible--his face so old, like a little old man. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Lois Jurgens served only eight years of her sentence, released early for good behavior, and lived a secluded life in Stillwater, Minnesota, until her death in 2013. #dennisjurgens #jerrysherwood #truecrime Jerry Puckett's mother abandoned her when she was three, she was raised by her father and abused by two stepmothers.. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens was an American convicted murderer. My God, he thought, looking at the body. Dennis Craig Jurgens (December 6, 1961 - April 11, 1965) was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. In 1987, Jurgens was convicted of third-degree murder of Dennis. As it happened, Peterson at the time was deputy coroner in Ramsey County. He would wait until the police investigation could resolve the matter. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it. A condition of neglect did exist. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. last The doctors eyes slid to a corner of the room. There was an error deleting this problem. Years later, Dr. Lynn Solem, the present director of the burn center at St. Paul-Ramsey Hospital, would explain that though this type of burn is now regarded as a sign of child abuse, in 1963 it would have been accepted as accidental. Only 5% to 10% of the bruises on Dennis could have been caused by such a fall. In the early 1980s, Jerry Sherwood went looking for the newborn son she gave up for adoption 20 years prior. Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. Dennis had been a beautiful baby, Gladys Demars said. None of this, however, was what had killed Dennis. She had not noticed anything was wrong until sometime later, when Dennis began holding himself and saying, Owie! It was then she saw that his genitals were burned and called the doctor. This drove Lois further into madness, as she felt she needed children to complete the "perfect picture" of her life. Statements in the police logs were riddled with discrepancies. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? C $186.13. The victim Our kids have fallen down steps and not died. Lois had grown up in an impoverished family of sixteen siblings and used her marriage to the middle-class Harold Jurgens as a means to improve her social standing. Those in the station familiar with the downtown strip joints in nearby St. Paul might have recognized Jerry Ann Sherwood from her earlier tenure at Alarys Club Bar. angelizdsplace.com/. | Much of the testimony related to Dennis, not Robert. Lois is survived by her husband, Floyd Jurgens; children Gary Jurgens and Caron Klein (Bruce);. roger w. tufte sr. was born on march 22, 1945 in lakota, nd the son of clarence and esther (johnson. During the early morning hours of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens. Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965. Try again later. Lois Jurgens was sentenced to 25 years in the Shakopee women's correctional facility for third-degree murder. Top Rated Seller. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. Theres nothing worse, Peterson had thought, than seeing a dead child. Sherwood eventually located Dennis's death certificate; because the death was categorized as "deferred", the case was still technically open. I want photos of this, he thought.