Criminal Psychologist Says Robert Durst 'Loves' Toying With Police
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Louisiana grand jury on Wednesday indicted millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst on weapons and drug charges.
The indictment there means his extradition to Los Angeles, where he's accused of murder, might take longer than expected.
Meanwhile, KCAL9's Erica Nochlin spoke to a local criminal psychologist who thinks Durst is enjoying the high-profile game of cat and mouse.
"It's all just a game," Vonda Pelto said. "I think he loves it."
Pelto, the author of "Without Remorse" about serial killers in prison, believes Durst craves attention and doesn't mind that both Louisiana and California are requesting his presence in a courtroom.
"It's probably like having two women fight over him," Pelto says.
Now that he is formally charged with possession of a firearm and marijuana allegedly found in his New Orleans hotel room, it is unclear how soon he will be back in a Los Angeles court to face murder charges.
He's accused in the death of his longtime friend Susan Berman 15 years ago, a murder the prosecution believes Durst committed because Berman knew of other crimes and murders Durst committed.
Pelto says all his attention-seeking is what led him to participate in HBO's "The Jinx," a documentary that detailed the disappearance of Durst's wife, the unsolved murder of his friend Susan Berman and the murder of his Texas neighbor, a man Durst admitting to killing in self-defense.
The finale of the documentary purports to show Durst confessing on a hot microphone in a restroom when he believed he was off camera.
"Killed them all," he's heard to say.
Pelto doesn't think Durst cared if the mic was on or not.
"He may or may not have thought the mic was live, or he just thought, 'Hey I don't care, I'm omnificent. I can get away with anything I want to. They're all fools.' "
Pelto also told Nochlin she believes Durst is a sociopath, and it's not surprising he got away with so much for so long.
"A good sociopath, psychopath, can lie to your face and be so, so believable," she said.
A jury acquitted him of one killing.
She believes if he is found guilty in the death of his friend, he still won't feel any remorse.
"He'll just regret getting caught, but he will not regret what he did," Pelto said.
