BENEDICT CANYON— Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert Durst’s Los Angeles murder trial has been postponed until April 12, 2021.

Robert Durst and Susan Berman photographed together. Photo courtesy of @48hourscbs via Instagram.

Robert Durst, 77, is a billionaire real estate heir. He is on trial for the December 2000 alleged murder of his longtime friend Susan Berman at her home in Benedict Canyon.

The 2015 HBO documentary, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” provided new evidence that led to Durst being charged with Berman’s murder. Durst has been behind bars since March 2015, he was taken into custody hours before the airing of the series finale. The documentary concludes with Durst mumbling to himself, with a microphone on, “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” 

Prosecutors have claimed that Durst shot Berman after she told him she was going to talk to investigators about the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst. Durst was never charged for the murder of Kathleen, who disappeared in 1982. He denied accusations levied against him and after her disappearance, Durst divorced her on the grounds of spousal abandonment.

After Berman’s death, Durst moved to Galveston, Texas. He dressed in drag and went by the alias of Dorothy Ciner, a mute woman. He was caught and arrested for the murder of his neighbor, Morris Black, in 2001. While on trial, he admitted to the dismemberment of Black, as well as throwing his remains in Galveston Bay. The verdict ruled that the murder was an act of self-defense and caused by Durst’s Asperger’s disorder.  He was let out on parole after serving less than three years in prison.

Durst has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has denied that he killed Berman. However, it was admitted that he found Berman’s body, panicked and ran. Durst also admitted to writing an anonymous note that led police to Berman’s body.

The ongoing trial for the murder of Berman was put on hold in mid-March due to COVID-19 concerns.  Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney John Lewin proposed earlier this month that the trial be delayed until next year, and it has been.