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| Robert Durst in court in 2014. |
Robert A. Durst—the eldest son of a late New York real-estate scion and the subject of an HBO documentary detailing his suspected involvement in the deaths of his first wife and a friend—was ordered held without bond Sunday in New Orleans in connection with the latter case, authorities said.
Mr. Durst, 71 years old, has long been eyed in the death of Susan Berman, who was shot in the head at her Los Angeles home in 2000. Ms. Berman, a writer and a longtime friend of Mr. Durst’s, was set to be questioned by investigators about the 1982 unsolved disappearance of Mr. Durst’s first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst.
Citing “additional evidence that has come to light in the past year, investigators have identified Robert Durst as the person responsible for Ms. Berman’s death,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
Mr. Durst was arrested Saturday in the lobby of the J.W. Marriott hotel, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. He appeared Sunday in a New Orleans court on a Los Angeles extradition warrant and is slated to attend a 10 a.m. extradition hearing on Monday, officials said.
Mr. Durst has denied involvement in Ms. Berman’s death. His attorney didn’t comment Sunday on the charge. “We are not prepared to say anything at all at this time,” said Dick DeGuerin, one of his lawyers. “Bob is going to waive extradition and go to California.”
Mr. Durst is the subject of the HBO documentary series titled, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” which highlights his possible role in the deaths of his 29-year-old first wife, in Westchester County, N.Y., and Ms. Berman. The final episode aired Sunday night.
A recent episode of “The Jinx” focused on the 55-year-old Ms. Berman’s death. On the show, Ms. Berman’s stepson, Sareb Kaufman, revealed an old letter from Mr. Durst to Ms. Berman. The handwriting on Mr. Durst’s letter seemed to match the handwriting on another letter that Los Angeles detectives believe was sent to the Beverly Hills Police Department by Ms. Berman’s killer, or someone close to the killer.
When confronted with the two letters during Sunday night’s episode, Mr. Durst said, “You could conclude they were both written by the same person.”
After filming had finished, but before Mr. Durst’s microphone had been turned off, he was recorded saying to himself in private: “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course,” the documentary showed on Sunday.
Mr. DeGuerin said he has not yet seen Mr. Durst’s warrant, or the final episode of “The Jinx.”
“We’re just not going to talk about that at this point. There will be a time,” he said. Mr. DeGuerin laughed when asked if he thought the arrest warrant was timed for the last episode of the show. “Of course it was,” he said.
In recent days, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had become increasingly concerned that the publicity surrounding the HBO series would cause Mr. Durst to flee the country or go into hiding with a false identity, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the situation.
Investigators came to suspect Mr. Durst was staying at the J.W. Marriott in New Orleans, and that he’d driven there in a Toyota Camry from Houston, according to the official. He had paid cash and showed a fake driver’s license to get the room, the official said.
FBI agents set up surveillance at the hotel, and at 4:30 p.m. Saturday saw Mr. Durst enter into the hotel, and observed him walking in circles, mumbling to himself, the official said. At that point, they arrested him, the official added.
Douglas Durst, Mr. Durst’s younger brother, said his family is “relieved and grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst. We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done.”
Douglas Durst is chairman of the Durst Organization, a real-estate company founded a century ago by his grandfather, Joseph Durst, and later run by his father, Seymour Durst. The company owns or manages millions of square feet of premium office and residential space in New York City, including the new One World Trade Center and 4 Times Square, which is the headquarters for the Nasdaq market.
The brothers are estranged, and Robert Durst hasn’t been involved in the family business for 25 years, according to a Durst Organization spokesman. A person familiar with the brothers said Robert Durst agreed to sever ties with the company and was bought out for many millions nearly a decade ago.
Mr. Durst, who had reported that his wife had suddenly gone missing from their cottage in South Salem, N.Y., has long been a suspect her disappearance. She has never been found.
A spokesman for the Westchester County District Attorney, Lucian Chalfen, didn't have a comment on Mr. Durst’s arrest, but said her disappearance “remains an open homicide case and should new information be developed, it will be investigated.”
In 2003, Mr. Durst was acquitted of murder in the 2001 death of his 71-year-old Texas neighbor, Morris Black. Mr. Durst admitted shooting Mr. Black, dismembering his body and dumping the remains in Galveston Bay, but said he acted in self-defense.
In December, Mr. Durst pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief for exposing himself and urinating on candy at CVS drugstore in Houston. He paid a fine and compensated the store for the damaged items.
A spokeswoman for the documentary’s director, Andrew Jarecki, wouldn’t comment on Mr. Durst’s arrest, nor would a spokesman for HBO.
Cr.Wall Street Journal
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