Murder Charges Dropped, Woman Who Shot Ex Was Victim Of 'Chronic Abuse:' State's Attorney

NAPERVILLE, IL — The DuPage County State’s Attorney has dropped murder charges against a DuPage County woman who was accused of fatally shooting her boyfriend in 2020, officials announced on Thursday.

State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a released statement that he made the decision to dismiss the charges after evidence showed that April Turner was the victim of “chronic domestic abuse” at the hands of her then-boyfriend. Berlin said he made the decision after discussing the case with investigators, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, and the family of Turner’s former boyfriend.

Berlin, citing recently discovered evidence provided to him by the defendant’s attorneys and local law enforcement, said he was convinced that Turner had been the victim of domestic abuse and that Turner’s former boyfriend had exhibited a “violent character,” Berlin said Thursday.

Turner was charged with first-degree murder in March 2020 after police said she shot and killed Nicarro LaRoy Drake in the Steeple Run subdivision near the Lisle-Naperville border. The two had dated for eight years, and police said that Turner shot at Drake three times and hit him in the chest before another woman wrestled the gun away from her.

Berlin said he received the new evidence in July and prohibited his office from prosecuting the case that Turner — who was 36 at the time of the shooting — was not justified in shooting Drake.

“This evidence shines a new light on the case that unequivocally confirms Ms. Turner was the victim of chronic domestic abuse at the hands of the victim. I fully understand the weight and consequences of this decision to both the victim’s family and to Ms. Turner,” Berlin said in his statement. “I made this decision, however, focused squarely on justice, based solely on the facts and circumstances of the case as well as the law in Illinois regarding the admissibility of evidence in self-defense cases.”

In a statement, the DuPage County Public Defender's Office, which was assigned to defend Turner said that justice prevailed in Thursday's announcement by the county State's Attorney.

"It was apparent to our defense team that she was the victim, and the killing of her abuser was a justified, life-saving act of self-defense," the public defender's office said. "The exhaustive and extensive work of our investigations team confirmed and corroborated her account that she faced an immediate and imminent threat."

"Litigation is challenging and April has displayed strength, poise, and grace throughout the process ...In this case, the criminal justice system finally acknowledged what we’ve known to be true all along, this was a justified act of self-defense and April Turner was demonstrably innocent."

The statement concluded: "April Turner is more than a survivor — she is a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. She loves her family, her colleagues, and her community. We are grateful for everyone who stood alongside April and our team throughout this process, and we are thrilled with this outcome."