Robert Durst of 'The Jinx' pleads not
guilty to murder in Los Angeles
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[November 08, 2016]
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wealthy Manhattan
real estate scion Robert Durst, whose ties to several slayings were
chronicled in the chilling HBO documentary "The Jinx," pleaded not
guilty on Monday to murder in the fatal shooting of a close friend 16
years ago in Los Angeles.
His arraignment came seven months after Durst, 73, pleaded guilty to a
federal weapons charge in New Orleans and was sentenced to seven years
in prison, paving the way for him to face prosecution in the death of
Susan Berman, a writer and longtime confidante.
Durst previously was tried and acquitted for the 2003 killing and
dismemberment of a Texas neighbor and was under investigation in the
1982 disappearance and presumed slaying of his wife, Kathleen, in New
York.
He stands accused in Los Angeles Superior Court of fatally shooting
Berman on Dec. 23, 2000, because of what she knew about the demise of
his wife two decades earlier.
Durst, who according to his attorneys underwent spinal surgery in
Louisiana, wore a neck brace and was seated in a wheelchair for his
arraignment, during which prosecutors said they would decline to seek
the death penalty if he were convicted.
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One of Durst's lawyers formally entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf
to a single count of first-degree murder. But Durst himself professed
his innocence to the court moments later.
Asked by Judge Mark Windham whether he could understand the proceedings
when defense attorneys complained their client was having trouble
hearing, Durst replied, "I hear fine now."
He then added in a slightly quavering voice: "I do want to say here and
now, though, I am not guilty. I did not kill Susan Berman."
Berman, a friend of Durst from graduate school who acted as his
spokeswoman after his spouse vanished, may have played a role in
facilitating a public alibi for her disappearance, according to various
media accounts.
Berman was found slain in her Los Angeles home, reportedly shot
execution style, after police in New York had reopened their
investigation into Durst's wife's fate. Durst was questioned but never
charged in that probe.
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![](../images/110816pics/news_g9.jpg)
Robert Durst in a wheelchair listens to one of his lawyers Dick
DeGuerin (L) during his arraignment on capital murder charges in the
death of Susan Berman, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 7,
2016. REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_090916.png)
He was convicted in 2004 of jumping bail and carrying a weapon across
state lines while fleeing authorities in Texas in connection with the
dismemberment case.
His guilty plea in April 2016 to a federal charge of being a felon in
possession of a firearm stems from his arrest in March 2015 in New
Orleans, where a search of his hotel room turned up a handgun, $42,000
in cash and a latex mask.
That arrest came a day after he was charged in Los Angeles with Berman's
murder and coincided with the series finale of "The Jinx." In that last
episode, Durst was presented with evidence that his handwriting appeared
to match that of Berman's likely killer. His voice was captured on a
microphone after the interview, muttering off-camera: "What the hell did
I do? Killed them all, of course."
Although Durst has long been estranged from his New York family and
their significant real estate holdings, prosecutors have put his
estimated net worth at some $100 million.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Writing by Steve Gorman;
Editing by Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Rigby)
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