EP175: Mommy Dearest

TW: Severe child abuse


There was a time in this country when there really were not any laws against child abuse. It wasn’t until 1975 did the State of Minnesota adopt legislation regarding child abuse and in 1971, the Minnesota State Supreme Court first heard a case concerning “battered-child syndrome”. This week’s case is about the horrific treatment and death of three-year-old Dennis Jergens, at the hands of his adoptive mother—someone who had no business ever being allowed to adopt—in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Be forewarned, it’s horrific.

Written by Terra Bella and edited by Tonya C.

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SOURCES:
1) Murderpedia
2) Google Scholar
3) Deadly Women Volume 13: 20 Shocking True Crime Cases of Women Who Kill by Robert Keller
4) A Child Lost Forever The Jerry Sherwood Story (movie)
5) A Death in White Bear Lake: Notorious crime in city history marks 50 years (https://www.presspubs.com/white_bear/news/a-death-in-white-bear-lake-notorious-crime-in-city-history-marks-50-years/article_1dca2e0e-e2fe-11e4-a17d-6311e99b067e.html)
6) Woman Who Killed Adopted Son Released After Eight Years in Prison (https://apnews.com/article/4d971675ec33098acb6cae3e4e93ed9e)
7) Child Murder : The Town That Lived in Silence (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-28-mn-355-story.html)