SUSPECT IN SLAYING OF FELLOW DEA AGENT MAY HAVE THREATENED TO KILL VICTIM

MIAMI As a federal drug agent for 33 years, Richard Fekete took risky
assignments and won commendations for his undercover work, but he was
dogged by a severe drinking problem and accusations of spousal abuse. The
job and the alcohol came to a violent collision Dec. 12, when a fellow Drug
Enforcement Administration agent was taking Fekete home from a Christmas
party because he was too drunk to drive. Authorities say sometime that
night Fekete shot Shaun Curl six times, killing him.

Fekete's lawyer said his client was in a drunken stupor and remembers
nothing. But according to an affidavit released last week, investigators
believe Fekete, though drunk, may have been out to get Curl anyway. The
55yearold agent is jailed, charged with firstdegree murder. Fekete kept
his job as a federal agent even though he had a history of alcoholism and
violence.

He had been in and out of counseling, once because he had held a gun to his
wife's head, according to published reports. He underwent psychological and
alcohol abuse counseling three times. The latest was in January 1995, just
weeks after his wife accused him of a pattern of abuse that included
drinking binges, violence, threats and holding his DEAissue weapon to her
head and the head of the family dog. Leigh Ann Fekete, 36, who now lives in
California, and Fekete separated last summer.

The couple filed for divorce Nov. 25. Fekete was treated for eight weeks
under the DEA's employee assistance program, a mental health benefit
offered by federal employers. His DEA bosses ordered his last treatment.
Still, Fekete was able to keep the job, which took him from Panama's
jungles to New Jersey's topless bars. He was transferred from the DEA's New
Jersey office to Chicago, and then to Miami to work at the High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Area Office.

Discipline under the civil service system must relate to onthejob
performance, and people with drinking problems are protected under the
Americans With Disabilities Act and other measures.

Fekete was demoted over a brawl in 1979 with Camden, N.J., police
officers, but was reinstated two years later when an administrative hearing
officer decided a corrupt officer fabricated the incident.

In 1987, Fekete fatally shot a cook wielding two knives during an argument
with another employee at an outdoor restaurant near Philadelphia. Fekete
consumed 11 beers before the shooting, but the shooting was ruled
justifiable.

When the investigation into Curl's death is finished, the DEA plans an
internal inquiry to see if any of Fekete's superiors should have perceived
a problem.

But the criminal probe so far appears to be largely circumstantial. That
is because the only person who might know what happened is Fekete. And his
lawyer said Fekete remembers nothing.

"Everybody knew that he has had alcohol problems for a long time,"
attorney Glenn Kritzer said. "However, I think it's also been clear that
his drinking problem has never affected his work product." Kritzer said his
client remembers only being at the party and then crawling on all fours in
a swampy area where Curl's car ran off the road. "He didn't even know
until they arrested him the following morning that he had shot and killed a
friend," Kritzer said.

"He was so shocked and devastated that he said he wanted to commit
suicide." But an affidavit released Thursday suggests Fekete may have
threatened to kill Curl, 39, several times. When two DEA agents visited
Curl's wife, Kathleen, the morning after the shooting, she told them that
Fekete had made threatening calls to their home. "Fekete had telephoned the
Curl residence and had spoken to Mrs. Curl on at least two occasions," FBI
agent Luis Quesada wrote. "Fekete threatened to kill Curl."

But in a subsequent interview, Kathleen Curl "did not repeat her prior
statements regarding the threat to kill Curl, despite specific
questioning," according to Quesada. Kritzer said his client never
threatened to kill Curl and that the two agents were good friends. "People
do not offer to drive people home if they are not concerned about them and
care about them," he said.

Copyright 1997 The Associated Press