Post by Mielikki (Admin) on Jul 15, 2015 4:43:49 GMT
From Wikipedia:
On October 9, 2001, Durst was arrested in Galveston shortly after body parts of his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, were found floating in Galveston Bay, but was released on $300,000 bail the next day. Durst missed a court hearing on October 16 and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of bail jumping. On November 30, 2001, he was caught in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at a Wegmans supermarket, after trying to shoplift a chicken salad sandwich, Band-Aids (Durst had removed them from a box and placed one under his nose, attracting the attention of store surveillance), and a newspaper, even though he had $500 cash in his pocket. A police search of his rented car yielded $37,000 in cash, two guns, marijuana, Black's driver's license, and directions to the Connecticut home of Gilberte Najamy, confidante of Kathie Durst, who had dogged Durst for years publicizing accusations he had murdered his wife. Durst also used his time on the run to stalk his brother Douglas, visiting the driveway of his home in Katonah, New York while armed.
In 2003, Durst went on trial for the murder of Morris Black. He employed defense attorney Dick DeGuerin and claimed self-defense; DeGuerin conducted two mock trials in preparation for the case. During cross-examination, Durst admitted to using a paring knife, two saws, and an axe to dismember Black's body before bagging and dumping his remains in Galveston Bay. He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which the defense argued explained his behavior. Durst claimed he and Black, a cranky and confrontational loner, struggled for control of Durst's .22-caliber target pistol after Black threatened him with it and the pistol discharged, shooting Black in the face. Morris Black's head was never recovered; prosecutors were unable to present sufficient forensic evidence to dispute Durst's account of their struggle. The jury acquitted him of murder.
In 2004, Durst pleaded guilty to two counts of bond jumping and one count of evidence tampering. As part of a plea bargain, he received a sentence of five years and was given credit for time served, requiring him to serve about three years in prison. Durst was paroled in 2005. The rules of his release required him to stay near his home; permission was required to travel. That December, Durst made an unauthorized trip to the boarding house where Black had been killed and to a nearby shopping mall. At the mall, he ran into former Galveston trial judge Susan Criss, who had presided over his trial. Due to this incident, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles determined that Durst had violated the terms of his parole and returned him to jail. He was released again from custody on March 1, 2006.
Asked in March 2015 whether she believed Durst murdered Morris Black, Criss commented: "you could see that this person knew what they were doing and that it was not a first time. The body was cut perfectly like a surgeon who knew how to use this tool on this bone and a certain kind of tool on that muscle. It looked like not a first-time job. That was pretty scary."
On October 9, 2001, Durst was arrested in Galveston shortly after body parts of his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, were found floating in Galveston Bay, but was released on $300,000 bail the next day. Durst missed a court hearing on October 16 and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of bail jumping. On November 30, 2001, he was caught in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at a Wegmans supermarket, after trying to shoplift a chicken salad sandwich, Band-Aids (Durst had removed them from a box and placed one under his nose, attracting the attention of store surveillance), and a newspaper, even though he had $500 cash in his pocket. A police search of his rented car yielded $37,000 in cash, two guns, marijuana, Black's driver's license, and directions to the Connecticut home of Gilberte Najamy, confidante of Kathie Durst, who had dogged Durst for years publicizing accusations he had murdered his wife. Durst also used his time on the run to stalk his brother Douglas, visiting the driveway of his home in Katonah, New York while armed.
In 2003, Durst went on trial for the murder of Morris Black. He employed defense attorney Dick DeGuerin and claimed self-defense; DeGuerin conducted two mock trials in preparation for the case. During cross-examination, Durst admitted to using a paring knife, two saws, and an axe to dismember Black's body before bagging and dumping his remains in Galveston Bay. He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which the defense argued explained his behavior. Durst claimed he and Black, a cranky and confrontational loner, struggled for control of Durst's .22-caliber target pistol after Black threatened him with it and the pistol discharged, shooting Black in the face. Morris Black's head was never recovered; prosecutors were unable to present sufficient forensic evidence to dispute Durst's account of their struggle. The jury acquitted him of murder.
In 2004, Durst pleaded guilty to two counts of bond jumping and one count of evidence tampering. As part of a plea bargain, he received a sentence of five years and was given credit for time served, requiring him to serve about three years in prison. Durst was paroled in 2005. The rules of his release required him to stay near his home; permission was required to travel. That December, Durst made an unauthorized trip to the boarding house where Black had been killed and to a nearby shopping mall. At the mall, he ran into former Galveston trial judge Susan Criss, who had presided over his trial. Due to this incident, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles determined that Durst had violated the terms of his parole and returned him to jail. He was released again from custody on March 1, 2006.
Asked in March 2015 whether she believed Durst murdered Morris Black, Criss commented: "you could see that this person knew what they were doing and that it was not a first time. The body was cut perfectly like a surgeon who knew how to use this tool on this bone and a certain kind of tool on that muscle. It looked like not a first-time job. That was pretty scary."