Murder trial of millionaire Robert Durst resumes

NEW YORK - The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst resumed in Los Angeles on Monday after a 14-month delay caused by the pandemic.

A California Superior Court judge rejected a request by Durst's defense team to delay the trial again. Durst's attorney said his client's health issues, including cancer, make him unfit to stand trial. Durst, 76, was not in the courtroom for the proceeding.

The multimillionaire's murder trial started in 2020 but stopped during the pandemic.

Durst is accused of killing his friend Susan Berman in 2000 shortly before she was set to give an interview to police about the 1982 disappearance of Durst's wife, Kathleen Durst, whose body has never been found. FOX 5 NY covered the widely publicized missing person case at the time. 

Authorities took Durst into custody in New Orleans in 2015 for Berman's murder. Durst has denied any wrongdoing. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

The family of Kathleen Durst believes Durst murdered her, according to the family's lawyer. Attorney Robert Abrams said Durst and members of his wealthy and well-connected family are responsible for a cover-up. 

"He with the help of Susan Berman and others in the Durst orbit came up with an elaborate scheme to make it appear that Kathy returned to New York City and voluntarily abandoned him, her family, her friends, her medical education, and everything that she loves," Abrams said. "We all know that was a sham."

The Cold Case Unit at the Westchester County District Attorney's Office is currently reviewing the Kathleen Durst case.

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