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Federal Judge Approves Robert Durst Plea Deal, Sending Him To Prison

Robert Durst sits in a police vehicle following a court appearance in New Orleans on March 17, 2015.
Gerald Herbert
/
AP
Robert Durst sits in a police vehicle following a court appearance in New Orleans on March 17, 2015.

Real estate heir and suspected serial killer Robert Durst will spend seven years and a month in prison after he pleaded guilty to a weapons charge.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt approved the plea deal on Wednesday.

Durst came to that agreement in February shortly after he seemingly admitted to murder in an HBO documentary. And as the Two-Way has reported:

"Durst has waived extradition to Los Angeles to stand trial for the 2000 murder of his friend Susan Berman. Durst is suspected of killing her because he feared Berman could connect him to the disappearance of his first wife in 1982.

"Durst's longtime lawyer — who successfully defended Durst in 2003 after his client admitted killing and dismembering a neighbor in self-defense — says the California case will be challenging."

The Associated Press writes:

"Ten years and a $250,000 fine would have been the maximum sentence that Durst could have faced for illegally carrying a .38-caliber revolver after being convicted of a felony.

...

"His attorneys have said repeatedly that he is innocent, does not know who killed Berman, and wants to prove it. They filed a motion Monday, asking Engelhardt to recommend that Durst serve his time at Terminal Island, California, about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The location is near the trial venue and has medical facilities Durst needs because of his 'advanced age and serious health considerations, including mobility challenges.'"

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.