Robert Durst Takes The Stand In His Murder Trial
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) — Real estate heir Robert Durst, who is on trial for the December 2000 murder of his friend and confidante Susan Berman at her Benedict Canyon home, took the stand Monday to defend himself.
Durst's testimony Monday was the first time he's spoken for himself since the trial began. The 78-year-old was seated in a wheelchair as he testified, and appeared frail, struggled to hear his attorney, and spoke in a raspy voice as he answered his attorney's questions.
Dick DeGuerin, Durst's attorney, asked him point-blank if he killed Berman and got an emphatic, "No" from Durst. When DeGuerin asked if he knew who actually killed Berman, Durst said, "No, I do not."
The testimony included Durst's many health problems, including bladder cancer, and recollections from his childhood, most notably the night his mother fell or jumped to her death from the roof of his family's home when he was 7 years old. Durst's rambling, narrative answers were often interrupted by prosecution objections to his attorney's questions.
Durst's family is known for its real estate holdings and ownership of a series of New York City skyscrapers, including investment in the World Trade Center. But he split with the family when his younger brother was placed in charge of the family, and was reportedly paid as much as $65 million after a drawn-out legal battle.
Durst has been in custody since March of 2015. Prosecutors allege Durst killed her to keep her from talking to police about the disappearance and presumed death of his first wife, Kathie. Durst says he is innocent, and his attorneys say there is no evidence that links him to Berman's murder. He was also previously tried and acquitted for another murder back in 2001.
Durst is scheduled to continue testifying Tuesday.