Assemblyman Calls For Pardon of Mahopac NYPD Sgt.

By Holly Crocco

Assemblyman Matt Slater is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to grant a pardon to former New York Police Department Sgt. Erik Duran of Putnam following his recent conviction and sentencing.

In a letter sent to the Democratic governor, Slater, R-Yorktown, urges clemency for Duran, citing concerns that the case represents a miscarriage of justice and emphasizes the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Duran, 38, of Mahopac, was found guilty in February of second-degree manslaughter after throwing a cooler at a fleeing suspect in August of 2023, leading to the man’s death. He pleaded not guilty during his bench trial, in which there was no jury – just a judge hearing the arguments and rendering the verdict.

On April 9, he was sentenced to three to nine years in state prison by Bronx State Supreme Court Justice Guy Mitchell. However, he was quickly granted $300,000 bail and released, to remain free as he fights the conviction.

Duran, who faced up to 15 years, was also facing a criminally negligent homicide charge, which was waived.

He is the first member of the NYPD in a decade to be convicted of killing a civilian.

Eric Duprey, 30, died Aug. 23, 2023, after he took off on a motorized scooter along a sidewalk in the Bronx, attempting to flee arrest after he had just sold drugs to an undercover officer. Video shows Duran, who was a member of the NYPD Narcotics Borough Bronx Tactical Response Unit, throwing a picnic cooler at Dupey’s head in an attempt to stop him.

Duprey was reportedly driving 30 miles per hour and not wearing a helmet when he was struck, which caused him to swerve and slide under a vehicle. He later died from blunt force trauma to the head.

The case was prosecuted by New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ office.

Slater noted that Duran’s actions were taken in the line of duty, with the intent to prevent harm to fellow officers, civilians, and others at the scene.

“This is a case where a law enforcement officer was forced to make a split-second decision to protect lives,” said Slater. “When officers act in good faith to prevent immediate danger, we must ensure they are treated fairly under the law.”

“It’s a backwards world when a cop-killer avoids a murder charge in the fatal shooting of NYPD Det. Jonathan Diller, yet Sgt. Duran is sent to prison as a ‘deterrent’ to other officers,” added Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra, R-Franklin Square. “A deterrent to what? Doing their jobs? It’s absurd. This is not the world we have to live in. Gov. Hochul has the authority to correct this injustice and restore balance to our system.”

Slater’s letter calls on the governor to use her clemency authority to pardon Duran and argues that the circumstances of the case and the intent behind the officer’s actions warrant careful reconsideration.