Robert Durst’s defense team has asked for a mistrial in the real estate scion’s Los Angeles murder case, arguing that delays in court proceedings caused by the coronavirus will make it impossible for him to receive a fair trial.
Durst was standing trial in the 2000 murder of his longtime confidant Susan Berman when the pandemic paralyzed most of the nation. Prosecutors contend that Durst killed Berman to prevent her from spilling incriminating information about the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen, whose body was never found.
Durst, 77, was charged with Berman’s murder in 2015, around the same time an HBO documentary reignited national interest in the case. He has pleaded not guilty.
Trial testimony was suspended March 12 due to the virus.