Brevard woman arrested on DUI manslaughter charge in crash that killed motorcyclist, deputies say

Markeysia Shanay Durden, 32, booked into Brevard County jail

32-year-old Markeysia Shanay Durden (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

PALM BAY, Fla. – A 32-year-old Brevard County woman faces charges of DUI and DUI manslaughter after being involved in a Palm Bay crash that killed a motorcyclist Friday, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Deputies said they arrested Markeysia Shanay Durden, of Palm Bay, following the crash at the intersection of Babcock Street Southeast and Cogan Drive Southeast.

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According to the affidavit, Durden was driving northbound on Babcock Street Southeast and attempted to make a left turn onto Cogan Drive Southeast.

The motorcyclist was traveling southbound on Babcock Street Southeast when it struck Durden’s vehicle, deputies said.

The driver of the motorcycle was then pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies said Durden told them she didn’t remember the crash because “it happened so fast.” Deputies also said there was an odor of cannabis coming from Durden and her vehicle.

Durden had red, bloodshot eyes and slow speech, according to deputies, and agreed to a field sobriety test. According to the affidavit, Durden “was too impaired to operate a vehicle safely,” and was placed under arrest.

Deputies said Durden was taken to a local hospital for medical clearance where she agreed to provide a blood sample, which was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab for testing.

Deputies said while Durden was at the hospital, she admitted that she smoked cannabis that morning in addition to “every now and then.”

After being medically cleared, Durden was transferred to the Brevard County Jail, where she is being held on a $15,500 bond.


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About the Author:

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.

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