Murder charges dropped against Naperville woman who killed abusive partner
CHICAGO (CBS) – DuPage County prosecutors did an about face on Thursday dropping the murder charges against a Naperville woman who shot and killed her boyfriend in 2020.
The DuPage County state's attorney, Robert Berlin, pointed to recently discovered evidence. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey dug into the details.
Berlin said the evidence pointed to the face that April Turner was the victim of chronic domestic abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Nicarro Drake. But domestic violence survivor advocates told CBS 2 they have been saying that since the beginning.
"This case is not a standalone," said Alexis Mansfield of Ascend Justice. "There are so many similar cases, but certainly her case points out so many flaws in our judicial system."
Mansfield worked with Turner and her legal team as the director of the Incarcerated Survivors Project at Ascend Justice and at the Women's Justice Institute. From the beginning, they have been saying the charges were wrong.
Turner shot and killed Drake in March of 2020 following a night of drinking with friends. Turner grabbed a handgun from a closet after he allegedly beat her. She shot him three times in the chest and then called police.
She was charged with first degree murder, although many pointed out that Drake's long-term violence against her and other women was well documented in court records.
They show at least 11 women, including Turner, sought orders of protection against Drake. And he has nearly two dozen violent criminal cases on record.
That information, coupled with Turner's legal team's intention to argue self defense, lead the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office to drop the charges on Thursday saying, "The strength of this evidence prohibits the State from continuing this prosecution in good faith and meeting our burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was not legally justified in using deadly force against the victim."
"In State's Attorney Berlin's statement … he states that this is chronic domestic abuse, which often isn't recognized," Mansfield said. "So I commend them for recognizing her right to defend herself and her right to be alive."
Berlin declined CBS 2's request for an on-camera interview.
Mansfield said she would like this case to serve as a catalyst for prosecutors to review other criminal cases involving the survivors of domestic violence like Turner. That includes pending cases, even cases with convictions.
