Man is charged in Fort Smith killing

Suspect’s girlfriend returns home, finds body inside, according to affidavit

FORT SMITH — A Fort Smith man was charged with first degree murder, a class Y felony, in Sebastian County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

No bail has been set for Christopher Wayne Duren, 38, according to a news release from Sebastian County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Shue. The criminal information for Duren provided by Shue accuses him of causing the death of Eric Reed, 47, on or about May 21. Duren was arrested Friday.

In the affidavit for probable cause determination, a detective with the Fort Smith Police Department said he was contacted and asked to respond to a residence in the 1200 block of North G Street in reference to a homicide on May 21. The detective said he was briefed by officers and learned that Reed was found dead just inside the doorway from an unknown cause.

The detective spoke with a male witness at the scene, who said that Duren had told him something, which was redacted in the affidavit. Duren was still at the scene and was transported to the Police Department by patrol officers, the affidavit says.

The detective also spoke with Duren’s girlfriend, who consented to a search of the residence and said that her son and Duren were also on the lease, the affidavit states. Both were contacted, and a consent to search was completed, according to the affidavit.

Witnesses and Duren’s girlfriend were taken to the Police Department for statements while the scene was being processed, according to authorities. Duren’s girlfriend said that she went to a store to get dinner and that her son had left at the same time she did, leaving Duren as the only one at the residence, the affidavit says. Afterward, the woman said, Duren showed up at the store and “was not acting right,” repeatedly telling her that he loved her, according to the affidavit.

When they returned home, Duren’s girlfriend said, she opened the door and found Reed dead, after which she panicked and called 911, according to the affidavit. Duren then made the statement that she did not do anything wrong and was not in trouble, the affidavit says. She said he also told her something, which was redacted in the affidavit.

The detective also spoke with Duren, but details on this were redacted as well. Duren’s girlfriend advised the detective that Duren was not being truthful, according to the affidavit. When asked about a phone call, she said that she had a voicemail on her phone due to it not working in the store. She played the message, with Duren making a redacted statement, the affidavit says.

After this message was played for Duren, authorities said, he was placed into custody on a charge of first-degree murder and taken to the Sebastian County jail. Duren was also placed on a parole violation.

A petition to revoke was also filed in two earlier cases in which Duren was involved, according to Shue’s news release. Duren will be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. today. The investigation by the Fort Smith Police Department, the prosecuting attorney’s office and other law enforcement agencies is ongoing.