Robert Durst was armed with a gun when he was arrested for murder as LAPD claim the bust had nothing to do with TV show 'confession'

• Durst, 71, looked frail during his brief appearance on Monday morning in New Orleans as it emerged he was carrying a gun when arrested
• He made shocking 'confession' to his involvement in the deaths of three people in final episode of HBO documentary about him on Sunday
• LAPD rejected idea that Durst's arrest was connected to documentary
• 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course,' Durst whispers to himself in 2012 in an unguarded moment caught on microphone
• Durst suspected of involvement in mysterious 1982 disappearance of his first wife Kathleen McCormack in New York. She has never been found 

By Christopher Brennan and David Mccormack and Louise Boyle For Daily Mail Online

Published: 11:07 EST, 16 March 2015 | Updated: 16:02 EST, 16 March 2015

Robert Durst was armed with a revolver when he was arrested on Saturday in the cold case murder of his friend who was shot execution-style 15 years ago.

Durst, 71, appeared in court on Monday and agreed to be extradited to LA to face a first-degree charge – one day after a recording of him apparently confessing to the crime was aired on TV. 

But his extradition was delayed because New Orleans prosecutors were considering charges against him, according to his lawyer, but wouldn't elaborate on the details.

LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese denied on Monday that Durst's arrest had nothing to do with the HBO show, The LA Times reported.

The senior officer said the arrest had come following an active investigation into the 15-year-old murder, adding: ''We’re constantly looking at cold cases.' 

Durst was arrested in the lobby of a New Orleans hotel on Saturday afternoon. The next night,  the finale of an HBO documentary about the eccentric, real-estate multi-millionaire aired a recording of his supposed confession.'

Scroll down for video of Durst's 'confession'

A court sketch shows Robert Durst in a holding area of a courthouse before his extradition hearing in New Orleans on Monday. The real-estate heir will now be transported to LA to face a first-degree murder charge

Durst, far right, being escorted into Orleans Parish Criminal District Court through a tunnel entrance on Monday after his Saturday arrest

Sunday's episode of the HBO series, The Jinx, featured Durst being interviewed by show producer Andrew Jarecki (pictured) in April 2012. After appearing under pressure when confronted with evidence gathered by the film crew, he is heard whispering 'killed them all' into a live mike off-camera

Robert Durst whispers 'I killed them all' in HBO documentary

In The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst, he can be heard, following an interview in April, 2012, whispering to himself in an unguarded moment off-camera: 'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course. 

The true-crime documentary's producer, Andrew Jarecki, dodged questions during Monday TV interviews over the specific timings of when the 'confession' recording was discovered by his film crew and when it was handed over to police.

However Jarecki and co-writer, Marc Smerling, later confirmed for The New York Times, that the 'confession' was discovered on June 12, 2014 after they brought on additional editors to go through footage. 

The 'confession' discovery reportedly came two years after Durst gave his second interview to the filmmakers - but it was not clear when the material was handed over to police.

The producers told The Times they did not reach out to Durst to conduct a third interview after hearing his bathroom 'confession'. 

Durst, who was acquitted of one murder and suspected in two others over three decades in three states, was arrested on Saturday for the shooting of his friend, spokeswoman and mobster's daughter Susan Berman, who may have known about the suspicious disappearance of his first wife in 1982. 

Durst has always maintained his innocence in the 2000 murder of 55-year-old Berman, who was shot in the back of the head. 

On Monday morning, he looked frail as he shuffled into the courtroom with his hands shackled at his waist, wearing sandals and an orange jumpsuit. He appeared to fall asleep just before the hearing started and later answered 'yes' to questions from the judge. 

Robert Durst (pictured with his friend Susan Berman before she was shot dead in 2000). Durst waived extradition in a New Orleans courtroom on Monday to be taken to LA and be charged with her first-degree murder 

The arrest report after Robert Durst was apprehended in a New Orleans hotel on Saturday carrying a revolver

Durst was held separately from other inmates which was packed with reporters and members of the public, ABC13 reported. 

He was represented by DeGuerin, who had defended him in his 2003 murder trial in Galveston, Texas.

Magistrate Harry Cantrell said Durst could be taken to California immediately. He also agreed that pain medication would be provided before the trip, after DeGuerin said Durst has had 'neurosurgery'.

Durst had been laying low in a Marriott hotel in New Orleans to avoid the growing attention at his Houston home, his lawyer said.

Outside court on Monday ,FOX 8 reported that DeGuerin said Durst didn't kill Ms Berman and that his client was prepared to defend himself. 

According to court documents, Durst had a .38 Smith & Weston handgun in his possession when he was arrested for first-degree murder with special circumstances. 

Durst was deemed a flight risk, the document stated.  

Another of Durst's lawyers, Chip Lewis, did not return a call from the Associated Press on Sunday seeking comment about the final episode of the documentary.

The FBI reportedly believed that the 71-year-old, who has an estimated wealth of $100 million, was about to flee the U.S. possible for Cuba, GMA reported. 

He had been staying under a fake name at the hotel and had fake documents. 

Nola.com reported that the first nonstop flight from New Orleans to Cuba took off on Saturday. 

Sunday's episode of HBO series, The Jinx, featured Durst being interviewed by show producer Andrew Jarecki. 

After the interview ended, Durst went into a bathroom still wearing a microphone.

He was recorded saying the following: 'There it is. You're caught. You're right, of course. But, you can't imagine. Arrest him. I don't know what's in the house. 

'Oh, I want this. What a disaster. He was right. I was wrong. And the burping. I'm having difficulty with the question. What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.' 

Mr Jarecki told GMA on Monday that despite Durst's off-camera 'confession' taking place after an interview between 2010-2013, it hadn't come to light until 'many months later' and then the film crew handed it over to police.

The producer did not provide specific dates to GMA.

He said that his team was 'a small documentary crew' and that it was only when they brought on more editors to sift through all their footage that one colleague came forward saying that he thought he had found something.

'We sat there in the editing room, just shook our heads. It was disturbing to hear it, uncomfortable to hear it,' Mr Jarecki said. 

'It took a while to really understand the impact of it.' 

Robert Durst's lawyer: Millionaire didn't kill Susan Berman

The producer said he had 'no deal' with police about the timing of Durst's arrest after being asked by GMA anchor, George Stephanopoulos, about the synchronicity with the finale of his documentary.

Jarecki later told The Times that he had been worried about safety after hearing that Durst was reportedly upset by the fifth episode of his documentary and that he had hoped he would be arrested soon.  

The Los Angeles PD would not confirm that the 'confession' recording was part of evidence on Monday to Daily Mail Online and would not provide details on when Mr Jarecki handed the tape over to police.

The LAPD said: 'As a result of investigative leads and additional evidence that has come to light in the past year, investigators have identified Robert Durst as the person responsible for Ms Berman's death.'

Durst was taken into custody at 4.30pm on Saturday at the JW Marriot on a probable cause warrant for the 2000 Beverly Hills murder of his friend Susan Berman, FBI Los Angeles spokesman Laura Eimiller told Daily Mail Online. 

His estranged younger brother Douglas, who heads his family's multi-billion dollar real estate company, said that the family was 'relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst'.

'We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done,' Douglas Durst said.

Durst, 71, was separated from other inmates and appeared to fall asleep during his court appearance on Monday morning in New Orleans (court sketch)

Robert Durst, 71 (pictured) was apprehended in the lobby of a New Orleans hotel on Saturday night with an out-of-state warrant from Los Angeles County

Durst was questioned in 2000 after the death of his longtime friend and elderly neighbor Susan Berman, (right) who was going to speak to police about the disappearance of Kathleen McCormack (left, with Durst)

The Jinx director on the moment he heard Durst's 'confession'

'What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course,' Durst can be heard whispering to himself in an unguarded moment off camera, but caught on a live microphone, in the true-crime documentary's Sunday finale

It was unclear whether the recording of Durst's comments could be used in court, some legal experts said, since they were made in a bathroom when he was alone and had an expectation of privacy.

The climax of last week's episode revealed a hand-written address on a letter, recovered by the slain woman's relative and given to the film crew, that Durst had sent to Berman. 

The handwriting seems virtually identical to an anonymous letter alerting Beverly Hills police to a 'cadaver' in Berman's home. Even the word 'Beverly' is misspelled as 'Beverley' on both documents.

Durst observed in the documentary that only Berman's killer could have sent the letter to police.

Jarecki was then shown putting the other letter in a safe deposit box. The episode didn't indicate whether Jarecki shared that earlier letter with the authorities.

Robert A. Durst's attorney Dick DeGuerin, left, speaks briefly after leaving Orleans Parish Criminal District Court in New Orleans on Monday

A hand-written address on a letter that Durst had sent to Berman seems virtually identical to an anonymous letter alerting Beverly Hills police to a 'cadaver' in Berman's home. Even the word 'Beverly' is misspelled as 'Beverley' on both documents

Fugitive Robert Durst, in handcuffs, is escorted to his arraignment in Pennsylvania in November, 2001, after jumping bail while awaiting trial for the murder of his neighbor. Victim Morris Black was killed by Durst who had moved to Texas and was pretending to be a mute woman named Dorothy Ciner at the time

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which delves into the murder of Susan Berman, aired its sixth and final episode on Sunday night on HBO - a day after the protagonist was arrested for first-degree murder

Durst's lawyer Chip Lewis said he didn't know if police had previously examined the newly-revealed letter, but said Durst had provided handwriting samples to LAPD in the past.

'I know all about this case,' Lewis said. 'I have no doubt we will present a most compelling defense.'

He had no doubt the timing of the arrest was orchestrated in coordination with HBO's broadcast of the final episode.

Durst was arrested on Saturday following discussions between the FBI and LAPD that had been going on over the past week. 

The millionaire had been staying at the New Orleans hotel and was recognized by agents in the lobby during his arrest on Saturday. 

'He's maintained his innocence for years,' Mr Lewis said. 'Nothing has changed.' 

'It's all about Hollywood now,' he said, adding that the arrest was probably orchestrated by the entertainment industry. 

The HBO show has stirred up interested in the case again after uncovering new information about Ms Berman's death.

The woman's stepson, Sareb Kaufman, gave film-makers a letter from Durst to his stepmother a year before she died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Durst's estranged younger brother Douglas, who heads his family's multi-billion dollar real estate company, said that his family was 'relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst'

Robert Durst at center of HBO's 'Jinx' arrested on murder warrant

Some suspect that Ms Berman, left, played a role in the disappearance of Dursts's wife Kathleen. Durst as pictured in his 1961 high school yearbook, right

It has handwriting similar to one sent to police alerting them of her murder right before Christmas.

It also featured the same spelling mistake, writing Beverly Hills as 'Beverley Hills'. 

Authorities in Los Angeles, who have long thought Durst sent the murder letter, have reopened the investigation into Ms Berman's murder after receiving Kaufman's message.

The killing took place right before she was scheduled to be questioned about the 1982 disappearance of Durst's first wife Kathleen McCormack in New York. 

Medical student McCormack, 28, vanished after meeting with her estranged husband at their home in South Salem, New York. She has never been found.

Authorities in Westchester, New York have said that they were still investigating Durst over her disappearance.

Mr Lewis said he had 'no doubt we will present a most compelling defense' in the case against his client. 

He said new evidence touted by HBO producers was something he had already been acquainted with.

Berman, whose father was an associate of Las Vegas mobsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, was seen as acting as Durst's unofficial spokesman after his wife's disappearance, in which the heir was suspected by many of foul play.

Some have also thought that Ms Berman, a writer, helped Durst bury Ms McCormack in New Jersey, Rolling Stone reported.

Durst divorced Kathleen McCormack (left) in 1990, angering her family by not telling them. He remarried to Debrah Lee Charatan (right during his 2003 trial) in December 2000, shortly before Susan Berman was killed

Durst admitted to forcing his wife, Kathleen McCormack (pictured) to have an abortion in 1976 and physically abusing her during their troubled marriage. She disappeared in 1982 after the estranged couple met at their Westchester home. She has never been seen since 

Last month Durst, who has spoken openly to the HBO series, said that he was 'complicit in Kathie's not being here' but had nothing to do with her disappearance.

He also admitted to forcing her to have an abortion in 1976 and having a physical altercation with her the night she disappeared.

Durst has admitted killing another man less than a year after the death of Ms Berman. 

The millionaire was tried for the grisly 2001 murder of his neighbor Morris Black in Texas, whose body parts were found floating in Galveston Bay. 

Durst had moved to Texas and was pretending to be a mute woman named Dorothy Ciner at the time of the killing. 

He fled while awaiting trial, then turned up shoplifting a chicken sandwich with Pennsylvania with $37,000 and a pair of guns in his rental car. 

Attorney Lewis told that jury that Durst shot Black in self-defense and suffered from Asperger's syndrome. 

He was acquitted of murder in 2003, despite admitting that he used a paring knife, two saws and an ax to dismember Black's body before dumping the remains.

With time served, Durst became a free man after serving a single year for bond jumping and evidence tampering. He later had to serve four more months when he violated parole by returning to the scene of the crime.

Lewis defended Durst again, calling it an 'unfortunate medical mishap' when he inexplicably urinated on the cash register candy display in a CVS pharmacy in Houston last year. Durst paid a fine and compensated the store in December 2014. 

The suspected early 2000s murders followed Durst's estrangement from his family, who are heirs to the real estate fortune amassed by his father New York developer Seymour Durst. 

When Robert Durst was seven, his mother committed suicide by jumping off a building.

Robert did not take up the reigns of his father's empire, which were instead given to his younger brother Douglas following Seymour's death in 1995.

He is estranged from the rest of the Durst family, one of America's wealthiest, with assets of about $4 billion, made from a New York real estate empire that includes the World Trade Center 1 building.

Some 13 family members reportedly have restraining orders out against him.  

Durst was arrested in Pennsylvania (right) for trying to steal a chicken sandwich after he jumped bail prior to his trial for the murder of Morris Black (left) in 2001

The suspected murderer was living next to Morris Black and pretending to be a mute woman when he shot and dismembered him in 2001

Durst (pictured) said that he shot Black with a handgun (pictured) in self-defense during the 2001 altercation, and was found not guilty of murder

The estranged Durst later regained $65 million in a court settlement with his family.

Beyond the HBO documentary, his life is the inspiration for the movie All Good Things, which was also directed by The Jinx's filmmaker Andrew Jarecki.

The director he was intrigued after 'seeing someone who is born to such privilege and years later is living in a $300-a-month rooming house in Galveston, Texas, disguised as a mute woman'.

His bizarre cases have captivated audiences with Durst's eccentricities, which have included dressing up in fake mustaches while a fugitive.

He was rearrested for the Black trial after he shaved all the hair and eyebrows, skipped town on $300,000 bail and was arrested in Pennsylvania for trying to steal a chicken sandwich despite the fact that he was carrying thousands of dollars.

He served about three years in prison for his bail offense.

He was fined $500 last year after peeing on a candy rack at a Houston CVS pharmacy in July, according to KHOU.

Durst married Debrah Lee Charatan, who is seen on the HBO show, on December 11, 2000, shortly before Ms Berman died.

He divorced Ms McCormack in 1990, angering her family by not reaching out to them. She was declared legally dead in 2001.

His net worth was estimated to be just under $100million earlier this year, according to The Squander. 

Forbes estimates that the Durst family has $4.4billion. 

The JW Marriott in New Orleans would not comment on the arrest. 

Robert Durst is the subject of HBO's 'The Jinx' documentary

Comments (48)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

Enter your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Submit Comment Clear

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now