NEW YORK CITY — Manhattan real-estate heir Robert Durst pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession in New Orleans federal court on Wednesday — a deal that will likely land him behind bars for more than seven years, according to the Associated Press.
US District Judge Kurt Englehardt said he’d provisionally accept Durst’s guilty plea in connection with a .38-caliber revolver found in his hotel room.
Durst was barred from having a gun because he is a convicted felon, the AP reported.
The deal could pave the way for Durst, 72, to be extradited to Los Angeles, where he’s wanted for the 2000 murder of his friend, Susan Berman.
Durst has waived extradition, saying he wants to return to California to prove his innocence.
Wednesday’s plea deal could be nullified if Englehardt opts to give Durst a different sentence in a couple of weeks. Durst faces up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine, the AP reported.
DNAinfo New York previously reported that an apartment building owned by Durst’s estranged wife was placed on a list of “at-risk” buildings by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
