Jurgens, now 69, was convicted of third-degree murder in 1987 in what at the time was the oldest homicide to go to trial in Minnesota. Lois Jean Jurgens, the daughter of Lawrence A. and Marjorie V. (Johnson) Jones, was born on May 26, 1929 in Malvern, Iowa. Sherwood became suspicious and persuaded authorities to investigate. In our family you dont dare say much.. 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.

Verify and try again. 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. That was why the judge wanted Lois Jurgens to consent to a thorough, inpatient examination by a psychiatrist he knew and trusted.

 

Two or three couples signed written statements. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Why werent his hands burned--wouldnt he have instinctively reached down to protect himself? She thought they had a lovely home. They beat my baby to death, Sherwood told Buzz Harvey.
From their patio, they could see huge bass jumping in the water. Last week, Judge David Marsden sentenced. . Lois' remedy for the toddler wetting his diaper too frequently was to place a spring-action clothespin upon the end of his penis. . 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. 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. ). . Lois thought that would be a good idea. Dennis was adopted by the Jurgens, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a suburb of Saint Paul: Harold Robert Jurgens, a former bandleader turned electrician, and Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens, a homemaker. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. . So it was that Dennis Jurgens death resulted not in a murder prosecution but, rather, in a juvenile court hearing over custody of his brother, Robert. Though the specific cause of that fatal blow is not known, it is known that it was Lois who had given it to Dennis. I would also like to receive the Early Bird Books newsletter which features great deals on FREE and discounted ebooks. There was a bluish mark on the right side of the head that started at the temple and extended to behind the right ear. so its not unusual.. If you throw up, you are going to eat it. A piano and bass fiddle occupied the living room.
This had required at least two hospitalizations at the Mayo Clinic and at a small psychiatric hospital called Crestview, where she had received electrical shock treatments.

 

Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. My God, he thought, looking at the body. On or around the night of April 11, 1965, Dennis Jurgens died at the hands of Lois Jurgens. Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. DENNIS JURGENS WAS ONLY 3-YEARS-0LD WHEN HIS LIFE ENDED AT THE CRUEL HANDS OF HIS MOTHER LOIS JURGENS AND SHE WOULD HAVE GOT AWAY WITH IT, BUT HIS BIOLOGICAL MOTHER JERRY SHERWOOD STARTED. In 1951, some 14 years before Dennis's death, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic entered this assessment in her file: "It is . How could the hot water splashing down on the baby have burned only his penis and scrotum? Then he began to look terrible--his face so old, like a little old man. When Harold took him to the bathroom at about 7:30 or 8 in the morning, Dennis had seemed fine. That doctor (Peterson) also presented problems--he was a typical doctor, couldnt believe his patient was killed..

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. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. 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 . Over the course of several visits to the Jurgens home, Rekdahl saw the matter differently. He had served as a reference when they adopted Robert. In spite of extensive physical evidence pointing towards severe abuse, the medical examiner did not classify the death under any of the standard classifications of accident, suicide or murder; he simply marked it "deferred".

 

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. 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. Two hours before, sitting in his waterside home on the southeast shore of White Bear Lake, Sunday morning had seemed so promising. There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved. 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. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. There was no possibility that Dennis had died from a blow to the head. To this end, she forced religious training on her young sons; reports had young Robert flawlessly reciting the Rosary at two. Lois A. Jurgens (92) of Petersburg passed away September 25, 2019. Jurgens was one of 16 children. Lois had had a history of mental illnesses including depression and psychosis and was originally deemed . DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERARY SPECIAL- 1:100 JURGENS & BREEDING FOIL VARIANT. Oops, something didn't work. . There is no evidence we are dealing with any people here who have any demon-like motives. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Lois Jurgens (134346102)? None.. Many years later, he explained why: I was quite certain it was a homicide, quite certain, Gingold said recently in an interview. As he viewed the body, he thought: This boy has been murdered. At the funeral, a crown of roses rested on Dennis head. Lois Jurgens (born 1925) is an American convicted murderer. She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota . The investigation, trial, and conviction are considered landmarks in the history of child abuse law. . 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. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. Matt McMillan, White Bear Lake true crime page-turner turns 30, White Bear Press Club, June 17, 2020. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. She knew he had high school and one year of college behind him, and that he was an only child with strong bonds to his mother. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 12 reasons why Sycamore Avenue is L.A.s coolest new hangout, Best coffee city in the world? The topic under consideration was the possible placement of Dennis Puckett with the Jurgens family. The foster mother thinks him a little wild one, but she means this appreciatively and derives pleasure from his antics. HH at the best online prices at eBay! Lois Jurgens was convicted in May 1987 of murder (by abuse) in the death 22 years earlier of her adopted son, Dennis. need your help for this. Instead, Dorothy Engfer began telling others in the neighborhood what shed seen. They had checked on him throughout the night. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged.
There are no volunteers for this cemetery. There are a lot of dead babies in the ground who were killed.. Well, I do, he replied. 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.

 

This case was a drop of water in the river.. On Nov. 28, 1962, members of the Scott and Ramsey counties welfare departments, including Rekdahl, had a conference in the town of Shakopee. Moments later, VanderWyst, rising to leave, asked Lois if there was anything else he could do, such as call her brother Jerome. It was awful. It began one month after Dennis death and continued for two days, May 10 and 11, 1965. I did my best.. They had cited the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. Rekdahl was a little concerned, since the accident actually had happened seven days before the phone call, but her main inclination was to soothe Lois Jurgens. Her features were still attractive, although the years had added a certain hardness and fleshiness. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. 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. 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. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. She was born February 25, 1927 to Leslie and Margaret Stowell in Cass County IL. . Lois jurgens, 93, of arvada, colorado, formerly of malvern and glenwood, iowa, passed away june 13, 2022. lois jean jurgens, the daughter of lawrence a. and marjorie v. (johnson) jones, was born on may 26, 1929 in malvern, iowa. About 50 witnesses provided a mixed story. Ive been doing this job too long. Dr. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. ``She did a lot more than she should have.. 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. There were many fateful moments in Dennis brief life, moments in which his destiny could have been changed. The victim She was a good dozen years younger than the Jurgenses. Lois considered herself a devout Catholic and believed she was doing "God's work" by making Dennis "perfect" in her eyes. He looks like a boy of 10. Maybe we can get more evidence from there. During her several postplacement visits to the Jurgens home in the following, probationary year, Rekdahl increasingly came to judge the placement a success. She was cleared of second-degree . 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? A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. Family members immediately begin whispering "she killed him" , referring to his adoptive moth Lois obsessed about Dennis' weight, which according to medical records was appropriate for a child of his age and build at the point of his adoption.

 

This story changed a lot about the Superman line of booksincluding introducing iconic '90s heroes like Superboy and Steeland DC Comics writ large. . In the 1960s, the term child abuse had not yet been coined[citation needed][2] and no one, not even medical professionals and teachers, was required to report suspicions. This was a murder. . "There was obviously going to be trouble, and he didnt want to get involved.". Year should not be greater than current year. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. 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. There was no possibility that Dennis had died from a blow to the head, and scarce chance that he had died from a fall on the flat basement floor. Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens Obituary We are sad to announce that on June 13, 2022 we had to say goodbye to Lois Jean (Jones) Jurgens of Arvada, Colorado. This woman was no crank. Other than that, nothing remarkable.. Lois Jurgens served eight years of her sentence and had a quiet life as a widow in Stillwater, Minnesota. We didnt believe it was possible in nice, middle-class suburban families.. Peterson departed soon after.
This was the first child-abuse case he had handled. No one proposed handing the investigation to some other body--to, say, the county sheriffs office.
. A common belief amongst witnesses and neighbors at the time of the murder, and among the investigators who eventually re-opened the case, is that he interfered with the investigation and destroyed incriminating evidence. During his short life, Dennis . 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. Those looking back now, those who unraveled the case, tend to shrug and shake their heads when Votels name comes up.

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). At first Bob Brass thought the squad car was Loiss brothers, but then they saw VanderWyst in the driveway. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. In her effort to make Dennis "right" in her eyes, Lois embarked on a series of sadistic and corporal punishments: Angered at Dennis for rejecting certain foods, she responded by placing horseradish on the food and then force-fed it to him. Product details Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 28, 2000) Language : English Paperback : 560 pages ISBN-10 : 0345487176 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! Is it quite customary to see a little boy with so many bruises, he was asked. The boy was obviously dead. In addition, Lois took to tying Dennis' limbs to the bedposts to keep him in bed and tied him to the toilet to force a bowel movement. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. No prosecution was taken at that time. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. What had happened--and how--and why? Father Riser told her he definitely would. angelizdsplace.com/. 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, now 69, was convicted of third-degree murder in 1987 in what at the time was the oldest homicide to go to trial in Minnesota. The Jurgenses were delighted. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200. We did not have enough evidence of any kind to deny them. Even with half the body obscured, VanderWyst noticed the bruises--an awful lot of them he would say later.