Source: DA seeking to indict Robert Durst in ex-wife's death

3 years ago 251

NEW YORK – A New York authoritative volition question an indictment successful the coming weeks against millionaire existent property scion Robert Durst for the decease of his erstwhile wife, Kathie Durst, who disappeared successful 1982, a idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance told The Associated Press connected Friday.

Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah decided successful caller days to instrumentality the lawsuit to a expansive assemblage successful the adjacent week oregon two, according to the person, who was not authorized to talk publically astir the substance and did truthful connected information of anonymity. The expansive assemblage process is expected to instrumentality astir a month, the idiosyncratic said.

The quality was archetypal reported Friday by News 12 successful Westchester.

Kathie Durst’s disappearance has shadowed Robert Durst, 78, for years, highlighted successful an HBO documentary successful which helium appeared to admit sidesplitting radical and culminating past period successful his condemnation successful California for murdering a confidante whom prosecutors accidental helped him screen up Kathie Durst’s killing.

A connection seeking remark was near Friday with the Westchester territory attorney’s office, which antecedently said that it reopened the probe into Kathie Durst’s death. In a connection issued aft Durst’s condemnation past month, a spokesperson for Rocah’s bureau said its probe was ongoing.

Durst’s lawyer, David Chesnoff, said: “I don’t respond to rumors.”

Robert Durst is jailed successful Los Angeles and scheduled to beryllium sentenced Oct. 14 for the 2000 sidesplitting of his friend, Susan Berman. His first-degree execution condemnation carries a mandatory condemnation of beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.

Durst, the eccentric heir to a household of New York City developers, is present sick and frail. He sat passim the proceedings successful a wheelchair, spoke dilatory successful a strained, raspy dependable erstwhile helium testified successful his ain defence and work his lawyer’s questions from a tablet giving unrecorded transcriptions due to the fact that helium struggles with hearing.

Los Angeles prosecutors accidental Durst changeable Berman astatine her Los Angeles location successful December 2000 arsenic she was preparing to archer constabulary astir her engagement successful Kathie Durst’s death. She had told friends she provided a phony alibi for him aft his woman vanished, prosecutors said.

“He’s a narcissistic psychopath. He killed his woman and past helium had to support sidesplitting to screen it up,“ Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said aft Durst’s condemnation successful the Los Angeles case.

Kathie Durst was 29 and successful her last months of aesculapian schoolhouse erstwhile she vanished connected Jan. 31, 1982. She and Robert Durst, who was 38 astatine the time, had been joined astir 9 years and were surviving successful South Salem, adjacent the Connecticut border. Her assemblage was ne'er found. At the petition of her family, she was declared legally dormant successful 2017.

Robert Durst claimed to constabulary that connected the nighttime of her disappearance, he’d enactment her connected a bid to New York City, had a portion with a neighbour and past spoke with Kathie Durst by telephone portion she stayed astatine their Manhattan apartment. They’d been warring earlier successful the evening, helium said. A fewer weeks earlier that, Kathie Durst went to the infirmary with facial injuries she said were caused by Robert Durst.

In the 2015 HBO documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” helium admitted helium made up the details astir seeing his neighbour and talking to Kathie Durst by phone, saying helium did truthful due to the fact that helium was “hoping that would conscionable marque everything spell away.”

In the aforesaid documentary, aft filmmakers confronted Durst with grounds linking him to Berman’s killing, helium stepped disconnected camera and muttered to himself connected a unrecorded microphone successful the bathroom: “Killed them all, of course.”

Robert Durst, who divorced Kathie Durst successful 1990 citing abandonment, has ne'er been charged successful her disappearance contempt respective efforts implicit the years to adjacent the case. Authorities reopened the lawsuit successful 1999, searching a water and the couple’s home.

While each that was happening, Durst fled to Galveston, Texas, wherever helium was accused of sidesplitting a neighbor, Morris Black. Durst past chopped up Black’s assemblage and tossed it retired to sea. Durst claimed self-defense — that helium and Black were struggling for power of a weapon — and was acquitted. He was convicted of destroying grounds for discarding the assemblage parts.

Durst, testifying successful the Los Angeles trial, denied sidesplitting Kathie Durst. After her aesculapian schoolhouse called to study that she hadn’t been going to class, helium said helium figured she was “out someplace having fun” and suggested that possibly cause usage was to blame.

“It hadn’t occurred to maine that thing had happened to her,” Durst testified successful August. “It was much like: what had Kathie done to Kathie?”

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Associated Press reporters Brian Melley and Andrew Dalton successful Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Follow Michael Sisak connected Twitter astatine twitter.com/mikesisak

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