Lois Jurgens was sentenced to 25 years in the Shakopee women's correctional facility for third-degree murder. The author's ability to set the scene of a tranquil. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It had always troubled her, more than any she handled before or since. Failed to delete memorial. The official records say 1,200 children died of abuse in 1986, but many experts believe the figure would reach 5,000 if closer attention were paid to some deaths attributed to accident or blamed on sudden infant death syndrome. Retrieved 12 February 2015. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. In a town like White Bear Lake, apparently no one thought it problematic that the assistant police chief, Lt. Jerome Zerwas, was Lois Jurgens brother. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. When you judge a case, you dont do so in a vacuum, Lindholm would explain years later in an interview. Lois walks past the TV cameras on her way to the courtroom on January 30, 1987, to plead not guilty to three counts of murder. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Those looking back now, those who unraveled the case, tend to shrug and shake their heads when Votels name comes up. Just past one year of age, Dennis was placed in the Jurgens' home in 1962, in anticipation of an adoption after spending much of his first year in foster care. they figured.

They would have to find out. According to Rekdahls written log, that was the sum of what Peterson said to her. I felt we actually checked out the concerns quite carefully.. The only witness to Lois's final abuse of Dennis was Robert, who was 5 years old at the time. State v. Jurgens :: 1988 :: Minnesota Court of Appeals Decisions To receive the type of severe burns he suffered, Dennis would have had to be exposed to steaming-hot water for a significant length of time. Aided by the testimony of the Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, 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. Over the course of several visits to the Jurgens home, Rekdahl saw the matter differently. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. It looked to her as if the roses were placed there to cover up the dark blue markings. Product details Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 28, 2000) Language : English Paperback : 560 pages ISBN-10 : 0345487176 Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter and get terrifying tales delivered straight to your inbox. Vachss uttalte at boken ikke forklarer begrunnelsen for at Harold er passiv, mens den har tilstrekkelig informasjon om Lois Jurgens. Why werent his hands burned--wouldnt he have instinctively reached down to protect himself? They were of varying colors--black and blue, yellowish green, reddish--which meant that some were fresh, some old. On the other hand, he could not bring himself to embrace the notion that Lois Jurgens was a murderer. death of superman comic: Search Result | eBay On the other hand, she realized the improbability of being offered another Catholic baby in the near future. From the bench, he said he hoped that they could find something to explain the mistreatment of Dennis. She committed one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota. 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. 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. It was not his job to do anything other than pronounce the boy dead. During this period, Lois was once again placed in a psychiatric facility. We have many Published Jan 18, 2023. Murder of Dennis Craig Jurgens | Mystery & Crime Amino The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Brand New.   She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. No one proposed handing the investigation to some other body--to, say, the county sheriffs office. . DENNIS JURGENS: MURDERED BY AN EVIL WOMAN - YouTube Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. Votel could not take the first step. Though the specific cause of that fatal blow is not known, it is known that it was Lois who had given it to Dennis. Rekdahl decided to call on the Jurgenses. "There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved.". Though the name of the adoptive family was not given, many suspected that the story was about Lois Jurgens. Thirty years later, writer and artist Dan Jurgens is revisiting the storyline that gripped the world. He naps both in the forenoon and the afternoon. . The case drew widespread publicity and was the subject of a book and a made-for-television movie. In winter, they got the north wind, so the lake froze too rough for ice skating. D'Angelo Puts Her Heart Into Nbc'S 'A Child Lost Forever' Star Tribune photo by Donald Black. Harold (Harry) Jurgens Obituary - Tribute Archive In 1984, Jurgens was the artist for the Sun Devils limited series (July 1984 - June 1985), with writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Judge Archie Gingold, in his findings at the close of the hearing, ruled that Dennis had been subjected to many incidences of cruel and severe abuse. . My clients have rights, he said. Several relatives now told the investigators they would not sign statements. Theres nothing worse, Peterson had thought, than seeing a dead child. Lois Jurgens, One of The Most Terrible Moms in America! Eventually Lois Jurgens was arraigned, and her identity released by the media. Thank you for supporting our partners, who make it possible for The Lineup to continue publishing the terrifying stories you love. in the third degree and sent to prison. . Her secret was revealed after Sherwood began searching for the son she gave up for adoption and learned in 1983 that he had died of a bowel injury. You consider how well you can sell this to 12 people in the jury box. In the 1960s, the term child abuse had not yet been coined and no one, not even medical professionals and teachers, was required to report suspicions. . She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses. Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. This was a murder. How could a little boy not scream out in pain as soon as he was burned? 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. My God, he thought, looking at the body. He couldnt comprehend anyone torturing a kid, Peterson would explain many years later.

 

There was a bluish mark on the right side of the head that started at the temple and extended to behind the right ear. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. . the prosecution saw Lois Jurgens
A Death in White Bear Lake: The Child Abuse Case That Led to Murder White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Soon the word spread from house to housethered been a death, the younger Jurgens boy had died. We reached a point where we could not find any new leads or pick up any new information . Camille Brass knew the blue convertible belonged to Dr. Peterson. Lois and Harold Jurgens lived in a comfortable, meticulously maintained three-bedroom house with a big, fenced backyard on a large corner lot on Gardenette Drive. He doesnt look like a tiny little kid, he thought. .. Robert was leaving things alone at the age of 1 year. Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast | a podcast by murdershelfbookclub Harold and Lois Jurgens, on the advice of their attorney, no longer would make themselves available for questioning. The boys mouth was getting full, he wasnt swallowing, so Lois put horseradish on the fork. Though autopsy photos showed Dennis body was covered in bruises at the time of his death, the coroner never declared it an accidentor rather, what it really was: murder. Doug Thomson, who defended Jurgens, said his client did not get out early. They had checked on him throughout the night. Robert was returned to the Jurgens home and, going through new channels, the couple was eventually able to adopt four school-aged siblings from Kentucky. We thought it would be no use.. She talked about it all the time, in fact. Martin fritz obituary. Harold Jurgens died in 2000; at the time of his death, there was suspicion that Lois had poisoned him, but this was investigated and ruled out. The next day, Dennis brother, Robert, was picked up and taken to a local hospital, on order of Juvenile Court Judge Archie Gingold. To this end, she forced religious training on her young sons; reports had young Robert flawlessly reciting the Rosary at 2. Lois Jurgens was at home alone with the children much of the weekend of Dennis' death. She thought the postplacement period had been quite successful. Donna Marlene Norton, Lois sister, was there that day and saw the same thing. VanderWyst was not close social friends with the Jurgenses, but he knew them well enough to greet them on the street. The next morning, six coroners jurors were asked to view the body of a dead boy, and to remember everything they saw. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Along with the aforementioned evidence of starvation and the scarring and bite-marks on his genitalia, the coroner discovered multiple lacerations and multiple generations of bruises covering most of his body.

He was born on September 29, 1941 in rural Adams, and was later baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church of rural Pickrell. The suspicious death of Dennis Jurgens wasnt properly investigated for 20 years. Donna Mae, about 5 feet away, watched in horror as Lois force-fed that vomit to him, made him eat it. By all accounts, Lois was obsessed with abusing Dennis, and she wanted the world to know he was a "bad child," and made no apologies about the inappropriate way she was disciplining him. If Votel had called it a homicide, at least that prospect would have been removed. Why was there no disposition of this case? How could the hot water splashing down on the baby have burned only his penis and scrotum? You dont know what to think, Donna Marlene said. Due to this frequent starvation, Dennis gained only three pounds in a 2+12-year period as he aged from one year old to 3+12 years old. Its kind of hard to believe., ``How can you take a babys life like that and beat it for two years and then walk free? she said. He found bruises running the length of the body--50 to 100 of them, he would say later, the exact number hard to judge because many were overlapped. This sort of thing happened back then.. None of this, however, was what had killed Dennis. Dennis was now fully accepted and loved in the family, she decided. 'Convergence' makes Superman a super-dad - USA TODAY Try again later. Dennis had died of peritonitis. A Death in White Bear Lake: Notorious crime in city history marks 50 Zerwas wouldnt let the rest of his family view the body. He was the son of teenage Jerry Sherwood (who was herself a ward of the state) and her teenage boyfriend. Four days after he drafted this analysis, on April 30, he and VanderWyst were pulled off the case. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. 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. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national headlines and was the top news story of the state of Minnesota in 1987. Jurgens was one of 16 children. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965. She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965. Late in August, Lois had called Rekdahl to report the matter. After seeing newspaper reports about the death, she was convinced that he had been beaten to death and demanded the case be re-opened. Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. This account has been disabled. 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. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. By the second week, the investigation began to encounter obstacles. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. Statements in the police logs were riddled with discrepancies. A family friend, Barbara Venney, saw the bruises through the flowers. A condition of neglect did exist. A vivid portrait of an all-American town that harbored a killer, A Death in White Bear Lake is also the absorbing story of two detectives who refused to give up until they had the killer cold.

 

Now the town is most frequently described as middle class. And a Dr. Peterson called at 10:09 a.m. to report a DOA--dead on arrival--at 2148 Gardenette Drive. ``May God strike her dead, thats what I have to say to Lois Jurgens, Jerry Sherwood said.

Most simply remain hidden. Her mother having long ago disappeared, Jerry Puckett had bounced among assorted relatives and county homes for girls. Harold Jurgens had converted a breezeway off the kitchen into a large, open family, dining and cooking area. Opens in a new window or tab. There was a television movie broadcast in 1992 on NBC en*led A Child Lost Forever that told the story from the perspective of Jerry Sherwood (played by Beverly D'Angelo). Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Please enter your email and password to sign in. She demanded to know the truth about her son's death. The Jurgens' adoption of Robert seemed successful in the eyes of authorities, who began to consider the possibility that they might adopt more children through official channels. Rekdahl thought Lois Jurgens, then almost 37, to be a rather attractive woman, although she was short and a trifle on the chubby side. The two also teased what's in store for readers . We wanted to tell someone, she said. He was shaken. 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 1960 to 1975.The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . . It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. They attempted to mind their own business and feared retribution from Lois, who was not above threatening the lives of her family members. At first, that seemed to be the conclusion that the official inquiry would also reach. My Mother Almost Killed Me. No one cared or stopped her. | by Karen Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? She had a pathological need for control over her environment and obsessively cleaned and tended to her home and garden, desperate to appear the picture of the perfect housewife.

In 1992 A made-for-TV movie was made based on both Jerry's story It was full of redwood and log railings, and the lawn and trees ran almost to the waters edge, a good hundred feet of lake frontage in all. A woman was convicted Friday of third-degree murder in What was to be the core of the case against Lois Jurgens 22 years later essentially came out then, albeit in a less detailed, more muted fashion. There was a problem getting your location. Dan Jurgens on how The Death of Superman has "withstood - gamesradar Lois attended cosmetology school in Des Moines, Iowa.

 

Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks Break Down Young Jon Kent's Return in Lois of Lois Jurgens are considered landmarks in the history of A parade of neighbors and relatives called to the stand by the Jurgenses attorney, Edward Donohue, all denied seeing any evidence of abuse. I was advised that the information was being obtained, that there was an ongoing investigation, Votel said recently. They had just buried the body, and that was all. They talked with more than a dozen relatives and neighbors of the Jurgenses.

Lois thought that would be a good idea.

 

updates The county had filed a custody petition, alleging neglect. There was no community pressure back then. and this case
Lois Jurgens was the infamous subject of one of the most unusual child murder cases in history in Minnesota.She was the adoptive mother of six children in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutally abused them all, killing one of them, three-year-old Dennis Jurgens, in 1965.. Jurgens was one of sixteen children. She had talked about this with the whole family, but not with the authorities. The first came now. Murder of Dennis Jurgens - Wikipedia [citation needed], Dennis Jurgens was born Dennis Craig Puckett in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. There was also pressure from supervisors to place, especially because there were so few Catholic children. No, nothing struck me, the doctor replied, except for these bruises. Do I think this happened just here, just this one? They had only two requests. He liked them. . They beat my baby to death. Clothing retains the heat. Votel went through living hell, one local judge said. Family members immediately begin whispering "she killed him" , referring to his adoptive moth She was born February 25, 1927 to Leslie and Margaret Stowell in Cass County IL. Their flight, coupled with the lingering suspicions surrounding Dennis' death, resulted in the termination of Lois and Harold Jurgens' parental rights. ``You have to understand this child is only 3 1/2 years old and virtually every day Lois Jurgens had him he was a victim of some kind of physical or mental abuse, and I dont think eight years was quite enough to compensate society for the act she committed, Robinson said. She knew that Lois came from a large, poor, Catholic family of 16 children, a family that at times survived on welfare. The word homicide remained unspoken. Ep 50-52 A Death in White Bear Lake by Barry Siegel- Sources, Photos

While he waited for the coroners investigator to arrive, he asked Lois Jurgens if there was anything he could do--such as take Robert to his own home, to be cared for by his wife. No. Whod listen? She was cleared of second-degree . . Two or three couples signed written statements. When Dennis messed his bed, she said, she forced the boy to eat his feces. For a time, that appeared to be the end of the story.

According to reports from family members who eventually testified at the murder trial, Dennis turned purple from being force-fed the bitter and spicy horseradish and also having his oxygen supply cut off when Jurgens covered his mouth and nose. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota .

Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens Obituary (2022) | Arvada, Colorado Murder of Dennis Jurgens | Detailed Pedia One day, Zerwas walked into the squad room and found the two officers investigating Dennis death. She thought Dennis was sloppy fat. This particularly surprised Rekdahl. It is not known specifically what caused the fatal blow, though the injury was later found to have been, beyond a reasonable doubt, inflicted by Lois Jurgens owing to evidence of her constant physical abuse. In the early 1980s, Jerry Sherwood went looking for the newborn son she gave up for adoption 20 years prior.

If you throw up, you are going to eat it. Three-year-old Dennis Craig (Puckett) Jurgens was tortured to death in the wee hours of April 11th, 1965. As he read, he stiffened in his chair. By all accounts, Lois was obsessed with abusing Dennis, and she wanted the world to know he was a "bad child"; she made no apologies about the inappropriate way she was disciplining him. The prosecutor wasnt getting help from the White Bear Lake police--her brother was on the force. . I was not trained in mental illness. Lois Jurgens Obituary (1930 - 2012) - Elkhorn, Wi, IA - the Des Moines 1 Bakgrunn; 2 Innhold; . She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. It is one of a few crimes that FBI agent Kenneth Lanning argues can legitimately be described as "ritual abuse". This treatment, along with the exertion as he struggled, sickened Dennis to the point of vomiting, which further enraged Jurgens, who then forced him to eat his vomit. This month is the 30th anniversary of the release of "A Death in White Bear Lake," a book by then-Los Angeles Times reporter Barry Siegel. After seeing newspaper reports about the death, she was convinced that he had been beaten to death and demanded the case be re-opened. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in.

For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. She seemed to Scott County welfare workers a hostile and sullen young woman, unhappy and emotionally underdeveloped. They are good people. We are sad to announce that on September 25, 2019, at the age of 92, Lois Jurgens (Petersburg, Illinois) passed away. The Lineup's Most Disturbing True Crime Bestsellers   . There was enough evidence to sustain child abuse and neglect charges. The defense picked the doctor, and set parameters on what questions he could ask. He had lived in this home since 1953, and it gave him much pleasure. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. I have never seen anything like that done.. Lois Jurgens headed to trial. Try again. She had a story to tell. Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. "There are certainly problems," says Jurgens, one of the main architects of . . When patrolman Robert VanderWyst arrived at the Jurgens home soon after, he found the doctor, the Jurgenses and 5-year-old Robert in the living room. According to reports from family members who eventually testified at the murder trial, Dennis turned purple from being force-fed the bitter and spicy horseradish and also having his oxygen supply cut off when Jurgens covered his mouth and nose. called, 'A Child Lost View Obituary & Service Information They were independent of each other. How a Group of Desperate Comics Creators Hatched Doomsday - Vulture Lois Jurgens - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia ``She did a lot more than she should have..

That will make you swallow, Lois had said. She knew that Lois had finished only the eighth grade. Lois Jurgens, 61, was convicted of third-degree murder of her adopted son Dennis in the first phase of her trial a week ago and the jury, after deliberating five hours, rejected her insanity. It began one month after Dennis death and continued for two days, May 10 and 11, 1965. This is the story of a small boys murder that went undeclared and unprosecuted for 22 years in a community full of people who knew what had happened. 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. . Nine months earlier, on Dec. 6, 1961, Dennis Craig Puckett, 8 1/2 pounds, had been born at St. Michaels Hospital in Sauk Centre, in nearby Scott County. He is able to turn himself over and is extremely strong, almost ready to stand by himself. Rekdahl thought that Lois speech betrayed a bit of cynicism. Donohue, their attorney, had allowed Lois before the hearing to be examined by a psychiatrist only under the strictest conditions. Initial placement was with a licensed, unrelated foster family, but Robert was then moved to his paternal grandparents at his parents' request. The situation had made him uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that he hadnt pulled down the blankets or examined the body further.