The high-profile trial of millionaire New York real estate heir Robert Durst was delayed until early April Sunday, part of a countywide halt to all jury trials in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Testimony in Durst’s trial was scheduled to continue Monday, but all jury trials in the Los Angels Superior Court system are being postponed to reduce the chances for community spread of the virus.
“Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, there will be a suspension of all jury trials, both those currently in progress, as well as those pending commencement, through March 30th. This notification applies to jury trials only,” according to a Los Angeles Police Department memo obtained by CNN.
The order follows a request Friday by Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile of the Los Angeles County Superior Court system, who called for a 30-day delay of all new civil jury trials. He also said criminal jury trials should be pushed back by 30 days, in cases where the defendants have agreed to the delay.
Brazile also called on the court to limit requests for new jurors for the next month, “due to concerns about juror availability.”
However, the judge made it clear Friday that he did not have the authority to order such measures.
Durst’s trial will not resume until April 6 at the earliest.
“Judge Mark E. Windham today ordered that the People v. Robert Durst trial stands adjourned until April 6,” an advisory from the court system said Sunday. “Seated and alternate jurors in the trial are instructed to return to Department 81 on Monday, April 6. Jurors assigned to this case should contact Department 81 or Jury Services with questions.”
Durst is accused of murdering Susan Berman, a longtime friend, at her home in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles just before Christmas in 2000. Prosecutors say he killed Berman because she had knowledge of his alleged involvement in his wife’s 1982 disappearance.
Durst was the subject of the 2015 HBO documentary “The Jinx.”
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