The Robert Durst case might take a turn for the worse for the American billionaire, as the Los Angeles police has informed the public that they are mounting a criminal case against his wife, in cooperation with the FBI, with the ultimate aim of forcing her to testify against him.
Durst, who is under investigation for the 2000 murder of his friend Susan Berman, was allegedly helped by his 58-year old wife Debrah Lee Charatan on an attempt to flee to Cuba. The authorities hope that she will then offer more details about Berman’s murder to escape prosecution; else she might face up to five years in prison for aiding the flight of an individual soon to be prosecuted. Durst could face capital punishment if he is charged, with Berman being considered a witness in the 1982 disappearance of his wife.
Robert Durst was arrested on March 14th, after having a first degree murder warrant issued in the Berman case. He was apprehended by an FBI task force in New Orleans, having also been filed with weapon and drug possession charges, and was incarcerated on suicide watch row at a Louisiana penitentiary. His lawyers have contested the legality of his arrest on Friday, stating that there is no actual reason to keep him confined and accusing authorities of trying to make a publicity stunt.
The 71 year old billionaire is believed to have murdered journalist, author and longtime friend Susan Berman, who was found executed in her house on Christmas Eve in 2000. Investigators believe this might be related to the fact that Berman had information regarding the 1982 disappearance of Durst’s wife Kathy, for which he was a main suspect but ultimately remained without charges. The case regarding Kathy Durst was set to be re-opened at the time, with investigators planning to question Berman on the matter.
Durst was arrested after he unintentionally admitted the murder while being wired with a microphone. This happened during filming for the HBO series The Jinx, a multi-part documentary about his life, with Durst talking to himself while in a bathroom, unaware that his wireless microphone was still on and that everything he said was being heard in the control room. The documentary’s crew then chose to announce authorities about the incident, with the billionaire’s off-screen remarks having good chances of being considered valid evidence in court.
Image Source: The Toast