Robert Durst to be extradited to Los Angeles, will face murder charge

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- New York real estate heir Robert Durst will be extradited to Los Angeles to face charges in the death of his friend Sandra Berman, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office said.

Durst, 72, will be extradited from New Orleans by Aug. 18 to face a murder charge. His extradition is dependent on Durst reaching a plea deal in a federal weapons charge in Louisiana and his sentencing in that case.

"We look forward to working with our district attorney to achieve some level of justice from Mr. Durst," Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday.

Durst's Houston-based lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, said, "The agreement we reached with the prosecutors in Los Angeles is part of Bob Durst's efforts to go to trial in the Susan Berman murder case as soon as the Louisiana charges are resolved. Bob Durst does not know who killed Susan Berman and does not know who did. He wants to prove his innocence as soon as he gets that chance."

Durst was arrested in March in New Orleans on weapons charges and and faces additional charges in Berman's death. He has also been implicated in the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen, and the 2001 dismemberment of a neighbor.

Durst took part in The Jinx, a six-part HBO documentary about his life. At one point in the filming, he was heard muttering, "There it is. You're caught. What the hell do I do? Killed them all, of course."