New York Real Estate Heir Arrested Over Murder

New York real estate heir, Robert Durst was arrested and appeared in court on Sunday.

The 71 year old son of billionaie Seymour Durst, was arrested in New Orleans on charges of first-degree murder of a friend. Durst was already under suspicion over the disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen Durst in 1982. She was declared legally dead after her body was not found. Dusk did not face criminal actions over his wife’s disappearance. Police enquiries lead to his arrest today over the fatal shooting of Susan Berman. Ms Berman was shot in the back of the head in 2000.

Independent reports:
Mr Durst is the subject of an HBO documentary exploring the murders and the disappearance. The final episode of the series, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, was scheduled to air on Sunday. The previous and fifth episode presented new evidence suggesting that on the day Ms Berman was killed, Mr Durst knew incriminating details about her death.

Mr Durst has previously evaded the police by skipping bail, travelling across the country and living as a woman. Despite admitting to dismembering his neighbour’s body in Texas in 2001, he managed to convince a jury at trial that he was not guilty of killing him. Mr Durst has denied knowledge of Ms Berman’s murder and his wife’s disappearance many times, most recently last week telling the New York Times he didn’t have the “faintest idea” who killed Berman.

On Sunday morning Mr Durst was brought before the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court where he was read charges of first-degree murder. He appeared wearing an orange jumpsuit, reports said. Mr Durst is being held without bail. Mr Durst’s lawyer, Chip Lewis, said his client will be transported to Los Angeles. “He’s maintained his innocence for years,” Mr Lewis told the Associated Press. “Nothing has changed.”