Palmyra boy, 13, fatally shot Mother’s ‘loose cannon’ boyfriend arrested

PALMYRA – A morning of domestic violence turned deadly Tuesday when a 13-year-old Palmyra boy was shot and killed, allegedly by his mother’s boyfriend.

Anthony Tucker died in the driveway of one of Palmyra’s most historic homes on Warren Hill Road after being gunned down. Todd F. Curry, 39, was arrested later in the day and charged with murder, police said.

Curry was held in Somerset County Jail and will make his first court appearance this morning at Somerset Superior Court in Skowhegan.

Tucker, two siblings and his mother, April Cooley, 32, shared the home with Curry. Police confirmed that they had been called to the home numerous times in the past for domestic disturbances.

April Cooley and her two remaining children, including an infant fathered by Curry, were staying with friends or relatives, according to a police spokesman.

Police would release no details of the incident or the type of gun used.

Those who knew Curry said he was a ticking time bomb.

Chuck Keegan of St. Albans stopped at the residence Tuesday morning to see what was going on after hearing about the shooting at a local convenience store.

Keegan said he knew the family, and his 8- and 12-year-old sons used to play with Tucker, whom he described as a “good kid.”

Keegan described Curry as an “odd duck,” noting that Curry previously had threatened a neighbor with a weapon and that the residence was the site of many domestic incidents.

“It was just a matter of time for this loose cannon,” Keegan said. “I don’t know why they didn’t take his guns away to begin with.”

Somerset County Chief Deputy Ron Moody confirmed later Tuesday that Curry was “very well known” to local deputies and that they had gone to the home on numerous occasions. Moody could not confirm whether any formal charges for domestic assault had ever been lodged against Curry.

A Maine TV station reported that Curry was arrested on domestic violence charges in January, and Cooley was arrested on similar charges the following month. Curry then sought a protection from abuse order against Cooley, which he later rescinded, according to WCSH-TV.

On Tuesday, neighbors reported hearing gunshots coming from the direction of the home around the time the incident was first reported in a 911 call.

One neighbor, Donna True, told the Morning Sentinel in Waterville that she had complained to police in the past about gunshots coming from Curry’s home.

“They’d go investigate and he’d say he was target practicing,” True said. “You don’t target practice after dark.”

Curry’s next-door neighbor, Don Hill, said he had experienced “trouble” with Curry but would not elaborate.

The killing took place at the historic Furbush home, which was built in 1802. The traditional white, Federal-style home with black shutters and double chimneys sits back from the road, somewhat concealed by a line of trees. It is a local landmark.

On Tuesday morning, an American flag waved atop a pole in the front yard, thick yellow rope held a tire swing from the branch of a nearby tree, and a trampoline sat nearby. A few hundred feet away, about halfway down the dirt driveway, a blue tarp covered Tucker’s body.

Police said Cooley and her three children were attempting to flee the home after calling 911 for help.

Tucker already was dead when Somerset County Deputy Mike Knight arrived at the home shortly after 6:30 a.m., Maine State Police Lt. Gary Wright said.

Curry reportedly was holding the gun used in the shooting, and Knight was forced to shoot a dog that attacked him before wrestling Curry for the weapon.

Curry, who had inherited the historic home from his grandparents, was taken into custody at the scene and then taken to the state police barracks in Skowhegan.

State police spokesman Stephen McCausland said Curry was charged with murder about 2:30 p.m. and taken to Somerset County Jail.

Neighbors remembered the victim, an eighth-grader at Somerset Valley Middle School in Hartland, as a cheerful youngster who would wave to passersby as he waited for the bus.

“He was very respectful, very polite,” said Laurie Holmbom, whose children had played with Tucker. “He’s someone you didn’t mind having around because he’s a good kid.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.