Deputy charged with killing Hurlburt pilot, sent to Okaloosa jail

Okaloosa County Sheriff's officials arrested former Okaloosa County Sheriff's Officer and Army veteran Eddie Lee Duran, Jr. after an arrest warrant was issued against him on Friday, August 23, for the killing of Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

RELATED: Fortson family attorney calls for former deputy to be arrested, charged.

According to Okaloosa County Jail records, Duran was admitted to the facility at 2:50 p.m. on Monday, August 26.

District Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden's office charged Duran with manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter, which is the killing of a human being by any means other than murder or manslaughter, according to those records.

Prison records show that Duran was arrested 12 minutes after correctional officers reported him to the prison.

No bond has was discontinued by Okaloosa County District Court Judge Terrance Ketchel in the Duran case. Pursuant to the laws of the State of Florida, only a judge can set or change a defendant's bail. Furthermore, in a manslaughter case, a person cannot obtain bail until his or her first court appearance. There are no records of the date of first occurrence on the Okaloosa Clerk's website at the time of this story's writing. Okaloosa County Jail logs also indicate that Duran is still being held at the facility.

At the time of writing this story, no photos of Duran from his mugshot were available on the prison website. His mugshot is the only one of the 44 people booked into the prison for whom a mugshot is not available.

RELATED TOPICS: Who is Eddie Duran?

What happens next in the trial of Eddie Duran for the killing of Roger Fortson?

There is still a long way to go before a trial in this manslaughter case – should one even take place.

According to court documents, Duran has two court dates scheduled so far. He will face Judge Terrance Ketchel and prosecutor Mark Alderman on Oct. 17 to answer the charges. He will enter either a guilty or not guilty plea at that point in the proceedings. in the caseTwo months later, on December 9, 2024, Duran is scheduled for a pretrial conference.

Duran's records do not currently indicate that he has an attorney.