LOS ANGELES (AP) It took nearly 15 years for police to arrest New York real estate heir Robert Durst in the killing of his best friend and another five to bring him to trial. After just two days of testimony, jurors were sent home when the coronavirus closed courthouses.
Robert Durst trial to resume after long delay
By Brian Melley
Robert Durst trial to resume after long delay
LOS ANGELES - It took nearly 15 years for police to arrest New York real estate heir Robert Durst in the killing of his best friend and another five to bring him to trial. After just two days of testimony, jurors were sent home when the coronavirus closed courthouses.
On Monday, more than 14 months later, the jury is returning to Los Angeles County Superior Court to see if they can complete their assignment. If so, it could be a first for the U.S. legal system.
The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst has resumed without the defendant present and with arguments about whether the case should continue at all after a 14-month recess.
LOS ANGELES It took nearly 15 years for police to arrest New York real estate heir
Robert Durst in the killing of his best friend and another five to bring him to trial. After just two days of testimony, jurors were sent home when the coronavirus closed courthouses.
On Monday, more than 14 months later, the jury is returning to Los Angeles County Superior Court to see if they can complete their assignment. If so, it could be a first for the U.S. legal system.
The length of the stoppage is unprecedented and it’s the highest-profile U.S. case postponed because of the pandemic, Durst’s lawyers say. They have repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought a mistrial because they argued the delay harmed his chance of a fair trial.
Durst trial resumes without defendant; jurors questioned
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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – The murder trial of multimillionaire Robert Durst resumed Monday after a 14-month recess without the defendant present and with arguments about whether the case should continue at all.
Judge Mark Windham said that Durst had refused to leave his Los Angeles County jail cell, though his lawyer disputed that account.
Windham denied a defense request to continue the case because Durst has bladder cancer and myriad other health problems that require hospitalization.
“The question isn’t whether he can endure the rigors of the trial,” attorney Dick DeGuerin said. “It’s whether he can survive at all.”