Susan Berman’s Killer Robert Durst Arrested And Denied Bail in New Orleans

Robert Durst, heir to one of New York’s biggest real estate empires, was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation from his hotel in New Orleans for illegal possession of marijuana and firearm on March 14. He is currently being held in police custody as prosecutors convinced Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell the suspect is a flight risk.

Durst has a standing warrant of arrest issued in California in 2000 for allegedly killing close friend Susan Berman on Dec. 23, 2000. Berman, who was found dead with a gunshot on the head, was a prolific journalist and daughter of David Berman, a known Mafia kingpin.

Now that he is in custody, the District Attorney formally charged him with murder, and Durst may even face a death sentence when convicted. New York authorities, meanwhile, continue to find interest in him while solving the mystery of Kathleen, Durst’s first wife who just disappeared in 1982.

For failing to have posted a bail, which is scheduled for another hearing this week, he cited severe medical condition as a ground. Durst is awaiting a final order for transfer to Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, a mental hospital an hour away from New Orleans, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Dick DeGuerin, his attorney, told the press Durst will argue his New Orleans case because it prevents him from Los Angeles transfer.

“I expect the hearings in New Orleans to expose the lack of evidence supporting the murder charges in LA,” DeGuerin wrote to Associated Press.

Durst is the primary subject of “The Jinx—the Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.” His arrest came while the HBO documentary continues to show episodes.

“We simply cannot say enough about the brilliant job that Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling did in producing The Jinx. Years in the making, their thorough research and dogged reporting reignited interest in Robert Durst’s story with the public and law enforcement,” a spokeswoman for HBO said late Tuesday.