The unbelievably horrible Powell tragedy keeps reminding me of another horrible instance of parental visitation/custody rights gone tragically wrong, documented in the amazing 2008 film Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. The Netflix synopsis does a graceful job of explaining the basics:

Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne's poignant tribute to his murdered childhood friend, Andrew Bagby, tells the story of a child custody battle between the baby's grieving grandparents and Shirley Turner, Bagby's pregnant ex-girlfriend and suspected killer. Initially, Kuenne made this documentary as a memorial for Andrew's loved ones, but it morphs into an emotional legal odyssey when Turner goes free on bail and is allowed to raise her son.

Dear Zachary is a movie that will destroy you, which is as it should be. But beyond the destruction is the beauty of the creation, with filmmaker/surviving friend Kuenne getting brilliantly proactive in response to a question that's sure to be hovering around the Powell family: How do we keep this horrible tragedy from becoming the entire life story of people we love?

Watch Dear Zachary at your leisure on Netflix Streaming. (And bring Kleenex/a dog to hug.)