None.. Peter Korolchuk yielded a good deal of information. He couldnt push Votel on this. Thirty years after the original Death of Superman storyline, the iconic tale's writer Dan Jurgens has confirmed which alternate Superman villains almost killed the hero. It was hard to believe that the Jurgenses had noticed nothing. Their investments and savings totaled $2,200. Nor had his arrival two hours before. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. 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. Petersons house sat precisely on the site of the old Wildwood Amusement Park. . 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.

 

Late in August, Lois had called Rekdahl to report the matter. They had checked on him throughout the night.   Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where she lived at the time. 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. . Dennis had fallen and hit his head on the wet basement floor the day before, the Jurgenses said, and he also had been suffering from a bad cold. Certain neighbors and family members knew there were problems with Lois' treatment of Dennis but did nothing to prevent it. Still it is fair to say that the story Lois Jurgens told required a considerable imagination to embrace. She was predeceased by : her parents, Leslie Stowell and Margaret Stowell. At the hearing a month later, Peterson was asked whether he saw anything unusual as he viewed the body in the crib. You do consider social attitudes. At the funeral home, Lois Jurgens brother, Lloyd Zerwas, came to pay his respects. The adoption should be approved. Donna Neely wondered, as she studied the Jurgenses now-silent house from her front window. That will make you swallow, Lois had said. In early December, 1963, Rekdahl paid her last postplacement visit to the Jurgenses. 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. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. They are good people. Sorry! 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. 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. 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. 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. Lois attended cosmetology school in Des Moines, Iowa. Rekdahl was developing real doubts about this placement, but the Jurgenses decided to go see Dennis that afternoon. Lois Jurgens had been sentenced to up to 25 years for the 1965 slaying of 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens. Retrieved 12 February 2015. Lois Jurgens.

She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. She died aged 87 on May 7, 2013. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. 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. She was cleared of second-degree . 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. To the casual observer, the Jurgens' seemed to be a normal, church-going family with a perfectly maintained house and yard. She was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison and was paroled in 1995. Lois E. Jurgens, 82, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2012 at Lakeland Health Care Center Elkhorn, WI. DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERARY SPECIAL- 1:100 JURGENS & BREEDING FOIL VARIANT. Even so, doctors do not usually see third-degree burns in an area that isnt covered by clothing. Free shipping for many products! When he wouldnt have a bowel movement, she said, she pulled the feces from his rectum with her hands. Thank you very much in advance. Tragically, just a few years after the adoption, Dennis died from peritonitis. 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. Try again later. Harold (Harry) Jurgens, 76 of Filley passed away at Gold Crest Retirement Center in Adams on January 7, 2018.
My clients have rights, he said. Walter Moore, a co-worker of Harold Jurgens, also came to the funeral. Lois Jurgens had not one good thing to say about Dennis. 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. One of Lois Jurgens responses was to call Father Riser, the priest who had so warmly recommended them to the county welfare worker. She was 61 when she went to prison and served eight years before being paroled.. . To him, that was close to frightening. . At the urging of authorities, Jerry placed Dennis for adoption after being told that he would receive good care.[1]. A jury deliberated about five hours Friday before finding Lois Jurgens, 61, of Stillwater, Minn., guilty of third-degree murder, or an unintentional killing. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. There was a large, swollen scrape on the forehead. I didnt examine him further.. 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. When he wet his pants, she said, she put a clothespin on his penis. . When the wind was up, Peterson would take out his sixteen-foot sailboat and glide toward Manitou Island and the town of White Bear. Lois Germaine Josephine Zerwas Jurgens was an American convicted murderer. 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. Two or three couples signed written statements. Her brother, Jerome Zerwas, was the police lieutenant of the town of White . Donna Mae Zerwas, Lois sister-in-law, had seen all that and more. They would have to find out.

The policeman did not, so they carried the body to the coroners van. He is extremely alert. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Blankets covered him to the waist. From their patio, they could see huge bass jumping in the water. VanderWyst and Korolchuk had brought in the file themselves and lobbied for prosecution.

. Dr. Peterson said he saw nothing unusual in Dennis life or death. It would have been difficult at the time to prove that Lois Jurgens had committed murder. We have many 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. The White Bear Lake police log for the morning of April 11, 1965--Palm Sunday--included the sort of events to be expected in such a town. Failed to remove flower. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Lois Jurgens (134346102)? Resend Activation Email. ``May God strike her dead, thats what I have to say to Lois Jurgens, Jerry Sherwood said. In 1987, Jurgens was convicted of third-degree murder of Dennis. Pitera would take photos later that day. The author's ability to set the scene of a tranquil. No one here is being punitive, Gingold told the Jurgenses and their attorney from the bench. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Try again later. This is a carousel with slides.

 

If Votel had called it a homicide, at least that prospect would have been removed. Try again later. .
I did my best.. Instead, Peterson would build an ice rink on his front lawnhed raise a circular wood wall, lay in six inches of leaves gathered from all the neighbors for mulch, then cover that with sheet plastic, one hundred feet long, fifty feet wide, and fill it with water from the hose.

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the prosecution saw Lois Jurgens
She is buried at the Union Cemetery, in Maplewood, Ramsey County, Minnesota. 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.

   
Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. He returned to the Jurgens home in time to meet the coroners investigator, Saveiro Pitera. We thought it would be no use.. From a newspaper notice of his death she had learned that the boys body bore multiple injuries and bruises. ``She did a lot more than she should have.. When Harold took him to the bathroom at about 7:30 or 8 in the morning, Dennis had seemed fine. 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. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. There was a time when White Bear Lake was an exclusive watering hole for people from Chicago as well as the Twin Cities. Mrs. The foster mother thinks him a little wild one, but she means this appreciatively and derives pleasure from his antics. At the funeral, a crown of roses rested on Dennis head. Innhold. We reached a point where we could not find any new leads or pick up any new information . She did not want this to influence their decision, but in all truthfulness, that was the reality. There are a lot of dead babies in the ground who were killed.. From behind their curtains and blinds, the Jurgenses neighbors on Gardenette Drive had been watching the comings and goings all morning with mounting interest. 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.
Failed to report flower.

 

Now VanderWyst was looking at him, asking a question: What was the cause of death?. Over the course of several visits to the Jurgens home, Rekdahl saw the matter differently. That this was much more a question for doctors than for the police did not sway Votel. Others promised that they would do so.

There were, to begin with, the same photos of Dennis battered body on the coroners table. Buy It Now. Harvey had been a rookie cop here in 1965, but Sherwoods story triggered no memories. Obituary. She would be a poor candidate for adopting a child at this time, the psychiatrist in 1955 had advised St. Pauls Bureau of Catholic Charities, where the Jurgenses for years had vainly sought children. called, 'A Child Lost Many years later, he explained why: I was quite certain it was a homicide, quite certain, Gingold said recently in an interview. Search above to list available cemeteries. Dennis nose was blood-red--VanderWyst thought it looked as if you just wiped it once more youd probably take the rest of the skin away. The doctor did not want to be there. Lets not build up some fiction that now we have done everything we should do.. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. On Nov. 28, 1962, members of the Scott and Ramsey counties welfare departments, including Rekdahl, had a conference in the town of Shakopee. The neighbors talked among themselves that afternoon. J. was a little nervous today and I felt was probably upset for fear of what we would think of such a thing happening to Dennis, she wrote in her log. When he arrived at the Jurgens home, though, hed realized all that was pointless. I want photos of this, he thought. Dennis Craig Jurgens was an American 3-year-old boy who was murdered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in April 1965. Then there was the coroners report. In our family you dont dare say much.. The topic under consideration was the possible placement of Dennis Puckett with the Jurgens family. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. He would testify that he had been suspicious enough to call the welfare department. Retired now for several years, he suffers from angina and does not go out much, but he recalls the 1965 hearing.

Dennis Craig Jurgens, 3.

Lois Jurgens at the time that she had custody of Dennis. They also caught crappies and smallmouth bass and northern pike, but the sunfish were the best. Villains also abound, but they remain less noticed. The just announced 80-page Death of Superman 30 th Anniversary Special will find Superman, his friends and his family revisiting his death, while dealing with a destructive new threat known as Doombreaker. I didnt look after that; I couldnt, she said. 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. The trial of Lois Jurgens for the murder of 3-year-old Dennis made national . They had seen Lois yank Dennis violently by the ears. It was highly unlikely that a fall on a flat surface could have caused this.

It is fair to say that this finding raised considerable questions. Youve got to worry about tomorrow. Did the doctor remember his thoughts on why this child died, his inner feelings that day? Opens in a new window or tab. He does not sound very well behaved, she said. 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. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 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. On Feb. 11, 1964, the commissioner of public welfare, as legal guardian for Dennis, consented to his formal adoption by Harold and Lois Jurgens. Nonetheless, when Harold Jurgens called three days later and asked when they could get their boy, Rekdahl and the Scott County officials allowed the Jurgenses to take Dennis for a preplacement visit. While visiting one Thanksgiving, she saw Lois force-feed Dennis, in a highchair, by shoving a fork full of food into his mouth. The coroner noted in his report that Dennis had almost zero subcutaneous fat, at the level of a person who had died of starvation. The mother was an unmarried 17-year-old, Jerry Ann Puckett, an attractive blonde of Danish-German extraction. plans and enthusiasm 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). from United States. And her release from the states prison for women in Shakopee only angered the biological mother whose search for her child led to the discovery of the crime. There was also a great deal of suspicion surrounding Jerome Zerwas, the brother of Lois Jurgens, who was a police lieutenant in the city of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It was not his job to do anything other than pronounce the boy dead. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lois Jurgens, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. She saw Harold, then 40, as a tall, rather swarthy man of German and Norwegian extraction, with dark brown hair and eyes. Lois was accused of murdering and beating her adopted son Dennis Jurgens in 1965 but wasn't convicted until 1987 and only spent 8 years of her sentence before being paroled in 1995. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? They carried assorted life insurance polices worth $10,000. Lois Jurgens agreed, but seemed scared that she would not be offered another child.