Durst now stands charged with offenses in three jurisdictions in two states:
•In California, he is charged in the 2000 slaying of Susan Berman.
•In New Orleans, where he was taken into custody at a hotel last month, he still faces weapons charges in state and federal courts.
A Federal Grand Jury has indicted Robert Durst on an official charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm which could send him to Federal prison for 10 years.
The indictment was handed up and made public Friday (April 10th, 2015).
Durst had been charged previously by a probable cause complaint in federal court, but federal rules require prosecutors to send the case to a grand jury.
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to rule that their case be tried before the Louisiana state case charging him with gun and weapons charges and the California murder case for the killing of Susan Berman.
The indictment charges that DURST, on or about March 14, 2015, unlawfully possessed a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver, after having previously being convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, to wit: two convictions in 2004, in case number 04-667 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, for, respectively, possessing a firearm while under indictment, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(n), and possessing a firearm while a fugitive from justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(2). The potential sentence in this case is a maximum 10 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons, a fine of $250,000, a maximum of three years of supervised release, and $100 special assessment fee.
- Read the full indictment here.
- Federal Law that applies in Robert Durst case: See 18 USC 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). [10 yrs.]
UPDATE:
A Federal Judge orders Robert Durst to be moved from State Jail to Federal custody:
A judge issued an order Friday to move Durst from state custody in Louisiana to federal court so he can make his initial appearance and be arraigned in court. Durst is to be moved before April 16th at 2 p.m., according to the federal judge’s order.
Federal court dates for Durst have not been set.
- Read the Writ of Habeas Corpus; April 10th 2015 – here.
Durst’s attorney Dick DeGuerin released the following statement Friday:
“Nothing about this case makes sense. In Fifty years of practice I’ve never heard of an indictment being returned three days after the complaint was filed. It seems we now are witnessing a tug-o-war between the State of Louisiana and the Federal Government over who gets the first shot at Bob Durst.
All the while the State of California is silent. Someone should ask what the Hell is going on.
Federal Law that applies in Robert Durst case. See 18 USC 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). 10 yrs.
The Life and Crimes of Robert Durst 