When Harold Jurgens called 10 days later to say they wanted to keep Dennis, the two agencies allowed that as well. Lois, who abused Dennis constantly, escalated to new levels of rage as the flood waters filled her basement. Dr. Peterson said he saw nothing unusual in Dennis life or death. 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. Peterson departed soon after. English
Lt. Clarence (Buzz) Harvey at first did not know what to make of the blonde 42-year-old woman who appeared at the front desk of this towns solitary police station on the morning of Sept. 18, 1986. "There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved.". Active children that bruise easily . The volume of business coming down the pipeline doesnt allow for regrets. and Judith Ivey as He has had all his baby shots. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. At the funeral, a crown of roses rested on Dennis head. When she was 17 and living in a juvenile home, she said, she gave birth to a boy, Dennis, who was quickly taken from her and eventually adopted by a family named Jurgens who lived in White Bear Lake. Dennis struggled with such training and was forced to pray and recite his Rosary kneeling on a broomstick for extended periods, until he did it correctly. Donna Neely wondered, as she studied the Jurgenses now-silent house from her front window. The question of Dennis Jurgens death next fell to the Ramsey County attorneys office. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Robert fit in well at the Jurgens household, as he learned from a young age not to get in his mother's way or cause an undue mess that would likely send Lois Jurgens into a rage. . He was the son of teenage Jerry Sherwood (who was herself a ward of the state) and her teenage boyfriend. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? I thought you might like to see a memorial for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens I found on Findagrave.com. Dennis & Robert DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERARY SPECIAL- 1:100 JURGENS & BREEDING FOIL VARIANT. Lois and Harold Jurgens lived in a comfortable . The topic under consideration was the possible placement of Dennis Puckett with the Jurgens family.
The neighbors talked among themselves that afternoon. . 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. Please try again later. Instead, Dorothy Engfer began telling others in the neighborhood what shed seen. Many years later, at his mother's trial, by then 27-year-old Robert recounted the events of that evening, testifying that his mother had beaten Dennis extensively and had thrown him down the stairs. So began a painstaking inquiry into the past--an inquiry that in recent months has pulled back the curtains on a decidedly uncomfortable vision. Our kids have fallen down steps and not died. They had only two requests. 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. My clients have rights, he said. There was an error deleting this problem. Still, she had never forgotten the case. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Lets not build up some fiction that now we have done everything we should do.. I have never seen anything like that done.. 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. 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. This drove Lois further into madness, as she felt she needed children to complete the "perfect picture" of her life. I was young then, just out of college, the social worker said recently in an interview. 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. He has no teeth yet, but they are coming. 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. Woman Tortures Adoptive Son To Death Lois Jurgens (40) was variously described as both short-tempered and vindictive by her neighbours and others who encountered her in the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and it was well known that she experienced bouts of severe depression and psychosis. While visiting one Thanksgiving, she saw Lois force-feed Dennis, in a highchair, by shoving a fork full of food into his mouth.
Instead the judge agonized, repeatedly expressing from the bench his sense of conflict and uncertainty. 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. Its so expensive.My friend, after twenty thousand years murder is still a business thats mainly in the hands of amateurs.Orson Welles (19151985), Its almost as if they were saying, You live your life, and well live ours.Richard Fielding, and Lee Sholem. Homicide was not the issue at the hearing. . Basically, she thought that Lois was content and happy, especially with Robert. 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. In the early 1980s, Jerry Sherwood went looking for the newborn son she gave up for adoption 20 years prior. Statements in the police logs were riddled with discrepancies. He wrote deferred in the box where he was to specify the manner of death, and put the certificate aside. Jerry took her case to the White Bear Lake police department and then to the local media. [citation needed][3]. We didnt believe it was possible in nice, middle-class suburban families.. A parade of neighbors and relatives called to the stand by the Jurgenses attorney, Edward Donohue, all denied seeing any evidence of abuse. The perforation, he judged, had occurred one to two days before the childs death. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Initial placement was with a licensed, unrelated foster family, but Robert was then moved to his paternal grandparents at his parents' request. He liked them.
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. There was testimony from other officers that he impeded the investigation into the child's death. During the early morning hours of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens. The coroner noted there was evidence of adult, human bite marks on his penis and scarring all over his scrotum; he was also found to be wearing two diapers and a pair of rubber pants at the age of three and one-half years.
