David and Kathleen Bagby, the parents of murdered Latrobe doctor Andrew Bagby, are pleased with how quickly a recent push for bail reform in Canada has gained ground since their grandson was killed in 2003.

A film about both murders called "Dear Zachary — A Letter To A Son About His Father," has the Canadian Parliament on the verge of passing a bill that would allow authorities to detain suspects of violent crimes who pose a potential danger to their young children.

"'Dear Zachary' was the primary impetus to get it (the bill) started, and I think it's the main reason it is going forward so quickly," said David Bagby, of Gilroy, Calif.

In March, the bill, proposed by Scott Andrews, a member of Parliament's House of Commons representing Newfoundland and Labrador, received unanimous support from the House of Commons. It is now under review by the 105-member Senate of Canada.

"We got it through fast; it's received unanimous support so far," said Andrews, who was inspired to introduce the bill after watching "Dear Zachary" last March. "I began pursuing this bill to see that something like this never happens again."

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a 28-year-old physician at Latrobe Area Hospital, was shot to death by his former lover, Shirley Turner.

Turner, a Canadian citizen, fled to St. John's, Newfoundland, after Pennsylvania State Police charged her with Bagby's murder. She fought extradition to Westmoreland County and a possible sentence of life in prison.

In 2002, Turner gave birth to Bagby's son, Zachary Andrew Turner. Although she was charged with killing the boy's father, Turner remained free on bail as she fought extradition.

On Aug. 17, 2003, with 13-month-old Zachary in her arms, Turner jumped off a wharf into the Atlantic Ocean, drowning them both.

The "Dear Zachary" film examines Turner's prosecution in Canada and the grief of Andrew Bagby's parents, who for a time lived in St. John's to try to gain custody of Zachary before the murder-suicide.

While it's usually difficult for private members of Parliament to get bills passed into law, the "Dear Zachary" film has helped gain support, Andrews said.

"I released the movie publicly in the hopes that it would inspire change that would make the world a little bit safer," said Kurt Kuenne, the director, who shipped 415 copies of the film to each senator and member of Parliament.

"I look forward to watching how things unfold in the Senate during the coming weeks."

Alberta Sen. Tommy Banks said the bill recently underwent the second of three necessary readings and will now be reviewed by the Senate's legal and constitutional affairs committee.

"After its review of the bill, the committee will report back to the Senate to amend, pass or defeat the bill in its current form," Banks said.

Andrews said he hopes a final decision on the bill will be made before the Senate's summer recess in June.

The Bagbys, who spoke last month before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, are willing to return to Ottawa to address the Senate.

"We will certainly be available to appear before their committee if called," David Bagby said. "Once we finish the push for this bill, I think we will walk away from the issue, having done all we can to fix this particular problem in Canada."

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