SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla.,None — More than 50 friends and family members have shown up to support a Maine man at his first court appearance on charges that he murdered Seminole County firefighter Jerry Perdomo.
Jackson resident Daniel Porter, 24, wore a bulletproof vest over his jail jumpsuit as he appeared Friday in Waldo County Superior Court.
Reports said that supporters shouted, "We love you, Daniel!" as he made his way through the courthouse.
Perdomo, 31, was last seen on Feb. 16, and his body was recovered on Wednesday in Newburgh.
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Police said the two were involved in drugs and had exchanged death threats.
Porter gave a thumbs-up to supporters as he was being driven back to jail.
Porter did not enter a plea, but is arguing self defense.
"Mr. Porter is very, very distraught over the turn of events, but felt he had no choice in taking the action that he did," said attorney Jeffrey Silverstein.
A medical examiner has confirmed that Perdomo died from a gun shot wound to his head. The medical examiner said Perdomo's death was a homicide.
Perdomo was a Seminole County, Fla., firefighter and emergency medical technician. He was married and was a father of two.
Perdomo's family said his body will be going home to Florida, but they aren't sure when. His funeral will likely not be open to the public.
Perdomo's wife, Tonya, and family are dealing with his death.
Perdomo became a Seminole County firefighter in 2009, but to be fully vested in the state retirement system he would have to have worked at the department for six years.
WFTV learned that even if he had worked for six years, his wife and two children only would have gotten a percentage of his $33,633 salary for every year he'd worked, tied to how much was contributed to his pension plan.
Since he did not die in the line of duty, his family would not be entitled to extra survivor benefits.
The state cannot tell us whether he had a life insurance policy.
There will be a vigil for Perdomo Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Deltona High School, where he and his wife graduated and where she teaches.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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