Robert Durst testified he would lie to cover up the murder of his friend Susan Berman had he killer her.
Durst was cross examined Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, charged with killing Berman 21 years ago. Prosecutors say Durst shot Berman at her Benedict Canyon home to stop her from speaking with New York investigators looking into the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathie.
L.A. County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin for the first time questioned the real estate scion under oath. It was Durst’s fifth day on the witness stand after having answered questions from his defense lawyer, according to the Associated Press.
Durst previously denied killing Berman and denied it again on Tuesday.
But Durst admitted to having lied under oath in the past, saying he would lie to get out of trouble, according to the report. Lewin asked Durst how he could expect the jury to believe him, given that admission.
“Because what I’m saying is mostly the truth,” Durst replied. “There are certain things I would lie about, certain very important things.”
“‘Did you kill Susan Berman?’ is strictly a hypothetical,” Durst said. “I did not kill Susan Berman. But if I had, I would lie about it.”
Durst’s defense team has repeatedly asked Superior Court Judge Mark Windham to declare a mistrial or delay the trial indefinitely, most recently last month.
The trial started in 2019 and was delayed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic last spring. It restarted in May.
[AP] — Dennis Lynch