Real Estate Heir and Suspected Killer Robert Durst Waives Extradition to LA

New York City real estate heir Robert Durst, the subject of a six-part HBO documentary focusing on accusations that he killed at least three people over a 20-year span, appeared in a New Orleans courtroom today and waived extradition to California, where he is suspected in the killing of a Los Angeles confidant.

Durst, 71, was taken into custody on a Los Angeles warrant by FBI agents Saturday night at the JW Marriott hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter. He was staying at the hotel under the alias “Everett Ward,” according to media reports out of Louisiana.

Durst is a suspect in the December 2000 execution-style shooting death of his close friend, Susan Berman, 55, whose body was found on Christmas Eve in her Benedict Canyon home.

‘Killed Them All,’ Admits Real Estate Heir Arrested for Beverly Hills Murder

Fox’s ‘Judge Jeanine’ Predicted Robert Durst’s Arrest Before the End of ‘Jinx’ on HBO

Authorities believe Durst killed Berman because prosecutors in the New York City suburbs of Westchester County were about to interview her about the disappearance of Durst’s first wife, Kathleen “Kathie” McCormack Durst, in 1982 while she was in the process of divorcing him.

Although Durst waived extradition, it was unclear when he would be returned to Los Angeles. His attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said after the court hearing in New Orleans that there could be a delay.

“We’re frustrated because the local authorities are considering filing charges on him here, and holding him here,” DeGuerin said. “We’re ready to go to California and have a trial.”

It was unclear what charges the local authorities might be considering. Court papers in New Orleans indicated that Durst had a .38-caliber revolver when he was arrested, according to the New York Post.

Durst’s arrest came several hours before Sunday night’s airing of the last installment of the six-part HBO documentary, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.” During its filming, Durst gave virtually unfettered access to producers Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling, including hours of taped interviews.

The series follows Jarecki as he cultivates a bond with the reclusive Durst and tries to get to the bottom of the rumors about his allegedly violent criminal past. In Sunday’s series-concluding broadcast, Durst was caught on microphone saying to himself, “Killed them all, of course.”

He also was caught saying, “There it is, you’re caught,” and “What a disaster.”

In addition to being a suspect in Kathie McCormack’s disappearance and the death of Berman, Durst also admitted to killing and dissecting the body Morris Black, a man who lived across from him in Galveston, Texas, where Durst fled while authorities were trying to make a case against him in both cases.

Durst went on trial in Black’s death -- after a nationwide manhunt located him in Pennsylvania -- but he was acquitted by a jury that deemed Black’s killing was an act of self-defense.

Sunday’s episode of “The Jinx” featured Durst being confronted with handwriting similarities between the envelope of a letter he sent to Berman in 1999 and an anonymous note sent to Beverly Hills police in December 2000 notifying them that they would find a dead body in Berman’s home. Notably, both envelopes included a misspelling of the word “Beverly” as “Beverley.”

In the show, Durst admitted he wrote on the envelope, but said he didn’t send the note to police. When shown both envelopes side-by-side, he couldn’t say which one he had written.

Investigators, in cooperation with the Major Crimes Section of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, secured a warrant for Durst’s arrest, police said. Some of the investigators have spent close to 15 years on the Berman case, authorities said.

Authorities have not specified exactly what evidence led them to seek a warrant, or whether the HBO documentary was a key part of the decision.

“As a result of investigative leads and 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,” according to the LAPD.

HBO issued a statement lauding the documentary’s producers.

“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,” according to the network.

Durst’s brother, Douglas, issued a statement expressing his family’s relief and gratitude over the arrest.

“We are relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst,” Douglas Durst said. “We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done.”

• City News Service
• (Photo of Robert Durst, screenshot from Click2Houston.com video on Youtube)

Get Patched in! Sign up for free news alerts for your town.

AGOURA HILLS | BELMONT SHORE-NAPLES|BEVERLY HILLS | BRENTWOOD | CALABASAS| CERRITOS-ARTESIA | CULVER CITY | HERMOSA BEACH | HOLLYWOOD | LONG BEACH | MALIBU | MANHATTAN BEACH | MARINA DEL REY | NORTH HOLLYWOOD-TOLUCA LAKE | NORTHRIDGE-CHATSWORTH | PACIFIC PALISADES |PALOS VERDES | REDONDO BEACH | SANTA MONICA |SHERMAN OAKS | STUDIO CITY | VENICE-MAR VISTA | WEST HOLLYWOOD | WESTWOOD-CENTURY CITY |WOODLAND HILLS