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Six Men Will Donate Their Skills To Help 
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By ANTHONY COLAROSSI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, January 21, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE -- If you thought the Robert Curley murder case and the
coverage surrounding it created a media circus, just wait. The big tent is
about to get bigger, a lot bigger. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Staffers for the television tabloid "Hard Copy" confirmed Monday that a
reporter and a television crew are on their way to town to cover what is
already one of Luzerne County's most sensationalized murder cases. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It's a classic story," said one staffer, who explained that he was calling
from his car and heading toward Wilkes-Barre to meet up with a television crew
today. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The reporter said he has tried to contact Curley family members and
attorneys. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're covering the story because it's a typical `Hard Copy' story," said
another of the show's staffers contacted in Los Angeles Monday. "It's got all
the elements that make it interesting. It's got intrigue, betrayal." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She said the story might be televised within the next week. It all depends
on how much of the story the reporter and his crew can gather. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Both staffers spoke on the condition that their names not be used. The New
York City publicist for "Hard Copy" could not be reached for comment Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What has attracted "Hard Copy' are the same elements that have fascinated
local people since September 1991. That's when 32-year-old Robert Curley died
of prolonged thallium poisoning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After five years, several police investigations and one very public
exhumation of Curley's body, the Luzerne County District Attorney's office and
state police charged Joann Curley last month with her husband's murder. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 District Attorney Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. is seeking the death penalty,
claiming that Joann Curley tortured her husband by poisoning him with the
thallium for almost one year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An affidavit states Curley was poisoned one final time while hospitalized
at Hershey Medical Center only days before his death. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Curley's attorneys and the District Attorney's office were not available
for comment Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Hard Copy" is televised weeknights on WYOU-TV, Channel 22. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`hard Copy' Plans Curley Case Segment Staffer For Tv Program Says It Might Be Telecast Within The Week