This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Robert Durst, the subject of the HBO documentary series The Jinx, was arrested in New Orleans on Saturday night and might have been trying to flee to Cuba.Federal agents acted on a warrant issued by the LAPD after the unsolved murder of Susan Berman had its case reopened last week. A source with the police told the L.A. Times that investigators are now working on the theory that Durst killed the writer in her Benedict Canyon home because she knew details about the disappearance of Durst's wife. A statement from the LAPD was more vague: "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"
Durst was taken into custody by federal agents in the lobby of the J.W. Marriott hotel he was staying at, registered under a fake name and identity. The feds say he was wandering in the area and mumbling to himself before the arrest, and cooperated with authorities once they identified themselves to him. According to ABC 7, the FBI thinks Durst might have been trying to flee to Cuba. The first flight directly to the island from New Orleans in over 50 years took off on Saturday.
The final episode of The Jinx airs tonight and Durst's attorney think it's no coincidence. "It's all about Hollywood," said Chip Lewis, who successfully defended him in the death of Durst's former neighbor Morris Black, claiming it was self-defense. Lewis said his client would not fight the extradition Los Angeles.
"He's maintained his innocence for years. Nothing has changed," said the attorney.
