The chief one involved the nature of the malady that killed Dennis. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Innhold. Want more true crime books? Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. The word homicide remained unspoken. View Obituary & Service Information https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134346102/lois-germaine_josephine-jurgens. In the early 1980s, Jerry Sherwood went looking for the newborn son she gave up for adoption 20 years prior. This, coupled with the lack of a statute of limitations for a murder charge, could lead the way to a prosecution of Lois Jurgens. After The Murder. Jurgens would make his debut as a comic book writer with Sun Devils he began scripting from Conway's plots with #8 and fully took over the writing duties on the title with #10. Sherwood became suspicious and persuaded authorities to investigate. The official cause of death was peritonitis due to perforation of the small bowel. Lois also was not pleased to learn how active Dennis was. . For that reason, Dennis, a week after his birth, was baptized a Catholic. I have never seen anything like that done.. It was as if the authorities had found a way to try Lois Jurgens for Dennis death without calling it a murder. 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. The defense picked the doctor, and set parameters on what questions he could ask. 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. The Jurgenses were delighted. Testimony from neighbors and family members told of young Dennis showing up to public events wearing sunglasses at the age of two to hide his frequent black eyes. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens I found on Findagrave.com. The Jurgenses are not being attacked anywhere along the line.
The county had filed a custody petition, alleging neglect. Eventually, all four of the siblings from Kentucky and Robert escaped the home by running away and getting help from concerned neighbors. +C $33.27 shipping estimate. Then there were the neighbors and relatives who had seen incidents and evidence of abuse. He had lived in this home since 1953, and it gave him much pleasure. Lois Jean Jurgens, the daughter of Lawrence A. and Marjorie V. (Johnson) Jones, was born on May 26, 1929 in Malvern, Iowa. . If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. She wanted assurances. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. .
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 autopsy report mentioned bruises head to toe. Please reset your password. Walter Moore, a co-worker of Harold Jurgens, also came to the funeral. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens to show support. I dont know how to describe it, she said. The cause of death was peritonitis, but the autopsy photos showed him covered in bruises with an anguished expression on his face and the coroner had not determined a mode of death, accident, natural causes, or homicide. You see, Gingold said, I didnt have to go that far. To the casual observer, the Jurgens seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. He was an outgoing child, as happy and adjusted as could be expected under the circumstances. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Jurgens was one of 16 children. We have set your language to Learn more about merges. . Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer.

Dennis and Robert Jurgens, 1965.

Whod listen? That this was much more a question for doctors than for the police did not sway Votel. No.

I did my best.. Harold and Lois Jurgens, a middle-class, churchgoing couple in picturesque White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had adopted Dennis and five other foster children. 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 case is described in detail in Barry Siegel's true-crime novel, A Death in White Bear Lake. There he had been loved and well cared for by an experienced foster mother. . . need your help for this. They just werent going to get any damaging information from him. 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. He felt that she needed psychiatric help very badly and, without it, might become psychotic. I was willing to wait. Votel was still waiting about two years later, when he retired from office. On April 26, Korolchuk drafted an analysis of the information they had gathered. 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. Lois attended cosmetology school in Des Moines, Iowa. Years later, the attorney representing Roberts interests at the 1965 custody hearing would still remember those photos. After seeing newspaper reports about the death, she was convinced that he had been beaten to death and demanded the case be re-opened.

The victim

Active children that bruise easily . . Heroes abound now in White Bear Lake, visible and proud of their roles in unraveling the mystery of Dennis death. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Jurgens' other adopted son, Robert, testified at the trial, at which Lois Jurgens (then in her 60s) was convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to prison.[4]. charles edward ed holland memorial park funeral homes and cemeteries. Forever' w/ the Many years later, asked in court how this placement was approved, Rekdahl--by then a psychotherapist and psychiatric social worker in Napa, Calif., remarried and using the name Gerane Wharton-Park--said: We finally had really no exacting reasons why we could turn this family down. She thought they had a lovely home. The doctor did not want to be there. Beatings and displays of Lois' explosive temper were daily events; especially bad days could include her slamming a child's forehead into a nail protruding from a wall, forcing a child to stand barefoot in snow, and shoving a used sanitary napkin in a child's face. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national headlines and was the top news story of the . Rekdahl, who graduated from St. Pauls Hamline University in 1957 with a bachelors degree in social work, had been in adoption services for less than one year. Lois Jurgens was convicted in May 1987 of murder (by abuse) in the death 22 years earlier of her adopted son, Dennis.

Dennis Craig Jurgens, 3.

There was a problem getting your location. 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.The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national .
 
If Votel had called it a homicide, at least that prospect would have been removed. 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. I can recall seeing some, but its not very clear. Father Riser told her he definitely would. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. This story changed a lot about the Superman line of booksincluding introducing iconic '90s heroes like Superboy and Steeland DC Comics writ large. For a time, that appeared to be the end of the story. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. That doctor (Peterson) also presented problems--he was a typical doctor, couldnt believe his patient was killed.. Rekdahl found her judgment confirmed by the Jurgenses priest. He could never forget how Lois Jurgens looked at those photos stoically, showing no emotion. In our family you dont dare say much.. So Robert, on a temporary but semiannually renewed basis, remained in county custody, living in foster homes. Vachss uttalte at boken ikke forklarer begrunnelsen for at Harold er passiv, mens den har tilstrekkelig informasjon om Lois Jurgens. All I could do was shake my head.. She thought Dennis was sloppy fat. This particularly surprised Rekdahl. It had always troubled her, more than any she handled before or since. About 50 witnesses provided a mixed story.

 

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. Robert would remain in county custody for the time being. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Death of Superman By Jurgens, TPB, DC Comics 1993, New, Sealed. There is in the Scott County records a description of Dennis in the foster home where he lived his first year: He is solidly built, with blue eyes and blond hair. In 1965, Votel said, he thought this was certainly a battered-child case, but the reports indicated that the child had fallen down some stairs. Last week, Judge David Marsden sentenced. They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Well, I do, he replied. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. 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. Retired now for several years, he suffers from angina and does not go out much, but he recalls the 1965 hearing. There were, to begin with, the same photos of Dennis battered body on the coroners table. In summer, Peterson caught little sunfish off his dock or from his motorboatthey had the loveliest taste, the fillet just the size of a half dollar, two good bites each. 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.

 

He has no teeth yet, but they are coming. 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. Three-year-old Dennis Craig (Puckett) Jurgens was tortured to death in the wee hours of April 11th, 1965. Father Bernard Riser of the St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church had known the Jurgenses for years and considered them to be among his parishs best families.