ALBANY – Putnam-Westchester Assemblyman Matt Slater Thursday called on Governor Kathy Hochul to pardon former NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran, following his recent conviction and sentencing for killing a man with a food cooler.
Slater urged clemency for the Mahopac resident, citing concerns that the case stood for an injustice and emphasized the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The 38-year-old Duran faced manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in the death of Eric Duprey, 30, during the August 2023 incident.
Duran entered a not guilty plea during the bench trial, in which a judge—rather than a jury—heard the arguments and delivered the verdict.
The incident occurred as police were trying to arrest Duprey for a drug deal in the Bronx when he jumped on a motorized scooter and tried to escape down the sidewalk.
Duran hurled a picnic cooler at Duprey’s head, trying to get him to stop. The suspect swerved, hit a tree and slid under a vehicle before passing away from blunt force trauma to the head.
Prosecutors said Duran’s actions were criminal describing them as “reckless, unreasonable and unnecessary.”
Duran, who took the stand in his own defense, told the judge that Duprey was going to crash into the officers at the scene.
According to his attorneys, Duprey’s dangerous driving could have resulted in the deaths of others.
Slater sided with Duran describing his actions as those “taken in the line of duty with the intent to prevent harm to fellow officers, civilians and others at the scene.” The assembly member also pointed out that the ex-sergeant received a prison sentence ranging from three to nine years after being found guilty.
Slater added that Governor Hochul has the “authority to correct this injustice and restore balance to our system. New York ought to be a city where those who commit crimes are brought to justice and law enforcement is empowered to safeguard the community. Granting Sgt. Duran, a pardon would send a clear message that public safety still matters.”
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