Kevorkian-Assisted Suicide Had Accused Spouse Of Abuse

DETROIT - A nurse who committed suicide with Dr. Jack Kevorkian's help complained to police three weeks ago that her psychiatrist-husband had manhandled her and that she was afraid of him.

The officers who interviewed Judith Curren at the couple's home in Pembroke, Mass., arrested Dr. Franklin Curren on a charge of domestic assault and battery, Plymouth County District Attorney Michael Sullivan said yesterday.

Curren, 57, a staff psychiatrist at Pembroke Psychiatric Hospital, was at his wife's side, along with Kevorkian and another psychiatrist, when she committed suicide Thursday.

Earlier, Kevorkian's attorney Geoffrey Fieger said Mrs. Curren, 42, had suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome that was destroying her body like AIDS.

But Dr. Charles Lapp, a North Carolina internist, disputed the assertion the disease is progressive and said people don't generally die of chronic fatigue syndrome.

"This is not an illness that anyone dies from," Lapp said from Raleigh. "It is not generally considered to be a progressive illness, nor is it considered to be a fatal illness."

Mrs. Curren, a registered nurse and mother of two daughters, ages 9 and 7, was the 35th person to commit suicide with Kevorkian's help. Her body was taken to a hospital late Thursday by Kevorkian and Dr. Georges Reding, a Kevorkian supporter.

The Massachusetts prosecutor said state and local police were helping Michigan authorities by interviewing people about the couple's relationship. They also were looking into whether Mrs. Curren was taking antidepressants - a possible indication that she was not fully competent to decide on suicide.

However, Sullivan added, "There's no evidence at this point in time that there's any wrongdoing" in her death.

Mrs. Curren had told the officers who interviewed her that she was afraid of her husband and that he had yanked the phone away from her and dismantled it, then grabbed her arm and hair and pulled her out of bed, court records said.

Curren told police his bedridden wife suffered from depression and an obsessive disorder and was refusing to take her anti-depressant medicine. He said they had been arguing.

Curren was arrested, and after a hearing Aug. 6, he was released on probation provided he get counseling, the court records show. He was to return to court Oct. 7.