Suspect wanted victim’s mom evicted

HARTLAND – A Palmyra man had begun the process of evicting April Cooley from his home at the time he allegedly shot and killed her 13-year-old son.

Todd Curry had dropped off eviction paperwork at the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 24, four days before Anthony Tucker was shot in the head outside Curry’s home, Chief Deputy Randall Moody said.

Curry has been charged with murder in the shooting that family members said took place as the teenager was helping his family escape.

Cooley owned a vacant mobile home in Hartland even as she and her three children were living with Curry in his house in the neighboring town, according to the Morning Sentinel in Waterville.

Cooley, who moved into her home soon after the shooting, declined comment when approached there Wednesday.

Without discussing specifics of the case, the director of the Family Violence Project suggested that it may not have been easy for someone in Cooley’s position to remove her children from an abusive situation.

Deborah Shepherd pointed out that one of the most dangerous times for a domestic abuse victim is when she tries to leave, at which point both the violence and the danger can escalate.

Earlier this week, Cooley filed a $1 million lawsuit against Curry, charging that he had caused Tucker’s death and inflicted emotional distress and physical harm on Cooley and Tucker’s 10-year-old sister, Adrienne.

District Attorney Evert Fowle said his attempts in February to prosecute Curry on felony assault charges were frustrated by Cooley’s refusal to cooperate, adding that such situations are complicated.

“I’m not the person to pass any sort of judgment on that,” Fowle said. “My heart goes out to the family of Anthony Tucker. It’s a shocking tragedy. Anybody who’s had any involvement should be asking themselves if they had any options in this case. And that includes our office.”