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.
At the time of Dennis' birth Sherwood was enrolled in a state reform school and said she had been pressured to put him up for adoption by her parole officer.
The doctor who treated him thought the burns was unusual, but Jurgens claimed it was an accident that had occurred when washing Dennis in the sink.
[4] Dennis was found dead in his adopted parents home in White Bear Lake, on April 11, 1965.
[citation needed] In court, Jurgens' defense argued that she was mentally ill when Dennis had died and suggested psychiatric institutionalisation instead of prison.
The prosecution disagreed and claimed that a final beating by Lois Jurgens caused a fatal bowel injury that killed Dennis.
[6] Lois Jurgens had been alone with the children for most of weekend that Dennis died, due to Harold being out of town doing electrical work for a friend.
They had witnessed Dennis being burned, his head submerged under water, force-fed fecal matter, and his genitals tied with clothes pins.
Lois Jurgens was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years, with her release date left to the discretion of the commissioner of correction.
[citation needed] A Death in White Bear Lake is a true crime book by journalist Barry Siegel, published in 1990, which recounts the murder of Dennis Jurgens.