Woman tackled in court after man convicted in beau's slaying

KEYPORT, N.J. (AP) — Sheriff's officers tackled a woman in a courtroom when she tried to confront a man who had just been convicted of killing her boyfriend.

Authorities say Anne Marie Palmiotto made her way past the railing that separates the defendant from the courtroom gallery but was tackled before she reached John Curtin on Tuesday.

A Monmouth County jury convicted the 20-year-old Keansburg man on numerous charges, including felony murder, that stemmed from the August 2018 shooting of 20-year-old Evan Smutz. Authorities say it occurred when Curtin went to the Keyport apartment Smultz and Palmiotto shared so he could buy marijuana from Smultz.

Palmiotto testified that Curtin took out a gun to rob Smultz and all three ended up on the ground wrestling before Smultz was shot.

Curtin said he acted in self-defense, claiming the shooting was an accident.