Wilson mother wants justice after son was denied protective order, killed in Maryland

WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Wilson mother is grieving over the murder of her son in Maryland. What makes it worse, is that it might have been preventable.

"This is a different kind of hurt. A different kind of pain I'm feeling," said Tonya Burch, mother of 22-year-old Tyrique Hudson.

Tyrique was better known as "TJ."

"I just never thought this would happen to my child," Burch said.

Anne Arundel County police say early on April 15, officers were called to an apartment complex in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

There they found Hudson dead from what appeared to be a gunshot wound.

Witnesses told officers they saw the suspect -- 53-year-old James Verombeck -- standing over the victim's body.

After an hours-long standoff, deputies were able to take him into custody.

"He's never had any confrontations or any fights," Burch said. "Nobody has ever has to come say, 'Oh your son did this to me or your son did that to me.' He was just overall a very gifted, unique child."

Hudson went to Wilson Early College Academy and graduated early from North Carolina A&T. He had moved to the Baltimore area last July before starting a job at Northrop Grumman as a software engineer.

"I went up with him then and stayed with him for a week to make sure he knew his way around," Burch said. "It was just a mother sending your child off with no family there."

Burch said Hudson's first and only confrontation with Verombeck, who was his neighbor, was in February. She said he "made a throat-slitting" gesture then.

"He was getting his mind set to move because he was fearful," said Burch.

She said her son had tried to get a protective order against Verombeck but that was denied. She said he also had just found a new apartment to move into.

"It's going to be very hard, very hard in the days ahead," Burch said. "I know my faith will guide me. I believe in God and I trust in God to give me supernatural strength to get through it."

TJ's funeral is April 27 in Wilson.

Verombeck has been charged with first-degree murder.