The Louisiana weapons charges against Robert Durst, the accused murderer who was the subject of HBO documentary “The Jinx,” have been dropped, but federal charges remain in play.
Attorneys on both sides confirmed the dismissal of charges, including Durst’s felony firearm possession, according to the Associated Press. The New Orleans District Attorney’s decision not to prosecute clears the way for similar federal weapons charges to proceed.
But Durst is not completely off the hook in Louisiana. Assistant New Orleans District Attorney Christopher Bowman said his office can reopen the case after the federal proceedings conclude, though that does not look likely.
Durst was charged in Orleans Parish with felony possession of a firearm, among other offenses, after law enforcement apprehended him on Mar. 14 at a New Orleans hotel. The real estate scion was arrested as a suspect in the 2000 murder of friend Susan Berman, who may have had information in the disappearance of Durst’s first wife, Kathie.
A U.S. District Court grand jury indicted Durst on federal charges on Apr. 10, to which he pleaded not guilty four days later. Durst could face up to 10 years in prison in that case, which is scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 22.