Robert Durst, the multimillionaire real-estate heir who was the subject of HBO’s “The Jinx,” was indicted Wednesday on drug and weapons charges stemming from arrest in New Orleans last month, indefinitely delaying his extradition to California to face charges in the 2000 murder of his friend Susan Berman.
Durst’s case became a national sensation during “The Jinx,” especially after the heart-stopping finale, in which he appeared to confess to three murders, including Berman’s.
Durst was arrested by the FBI at a New Orleans hotel in March, the day before the finale aired, on a warrant for Berman's murder. He was carrying a fake ID, marijuana and a firearm. Today's indictment charges Durst with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm while carrying a controlled substance. Durst is currently being held without bond in a state prison outside New Orleans. If convicted, he could face jail time of up to twenty years.
Yet the indictment stands to delay Durst’s extradition to face charges in California, something his lawyers have been fighting vehemently against. "This is a California born and bred case and that's where it belongs,” Durst’s lawyer Dick DeGuerin told the L.A. Times. "That's where we need to be. That's where the big fight is going to be," he said.
Durst’s lawyers are working to contest the weapons charges and get Durst extradited to California so they can try the murder case.
“We’ll reiterate our desire to try the murder case,” said Chip Lewis, another of Durst’s (many) lawyers, in the New York Times. “We’ve got the tail wagging the dog. The arrest in New Orleans is nothing but a product of the Los Angeles arrest warrant."
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