Louisiana weapons charges dismissed against Robert Durst, federal case remains

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Robert Durst leaves federal court in an Orleans Parish sheriff’s vehicle after his arraignment April 14 in New Orleans. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

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Robert Durst is transported from district court to prison after his arraignment in New Orleans on Tuesday. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

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Robert Durst is escorted into prison after his arraignment in New Orleans on Tuesday. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

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Writer Susan Berman was killed in her home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Benedict Canyon. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert Durst, far right, photographed through fencing, is escorted into Orleans Parish Criminal District Court through a tunnel entrance, in New Orleans. Durst waived extradition Monday and will be taken to Los Angeles to face a murder charge in the 2000 slaying of a writer and friend. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

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Multi-millionaire murder defendant Robert Durst, right, is congratulated by his attorneys Dick DeGuerin, left, and Mike Ramsey after receiving a verdict of not guilty Nov. 11, 2003, in Galveston, Texas. (Pat Sullivan / Associated Press)

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Multi-millionaire murder defendant Robert Durst demonstrates how Morris Black handled a gun during testimony at his trial on Oct. 23, 2003, in Galveston, Texas. (Pat Sullivan / Associated Press)

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In this Aug. 18, 2003, file photo, Robert Durst, left, sits in a courtroom during a pretrial hearing at the Galveston County Courthouse in Galveston, Texas. (Kevin Bartram / Associated Press)

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Robert Durst, center, is escorted by Northampton County deputy sheriffs before a hearing advising Durst of his rights under extradition laws Dec. 3, 2001, in Easton, Pa. (Robert Fish / Associated Press)

By Veronica Rocha

April 23, 2015 10:50 AM PT

Louisiana authorities dismissed weapons charges against real estate heir Robert Durst -- who faces a murder charge in Los Angeles -- on Thursday as federal authorities moved forward with their case against him.

Orleans Parish District Leon A. Cannizzaro Jr., who is working closely with federal prosecutors, decided to dismiss two state gun charges against Durst: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with a controlled substance.

“It was determined that this case would be prosecuted in the federal courts,” Assistant Dist. Atty. Christopher Bowman told the Los Angeles Times.

Although state prosecutors have dismissed charges, Bowman said they still “reserve the right” to look at their case against Durst again after the federal case is over.

Durst’s lead attorney, Houston-based Dick DeGuerin, told The Times that the move was “fair and reasonable, as otherwise there would have been parallel prosecutions going on at the same time.”

“I look forward to our day in court and to getting the Louisiana case resolved, so we can get to California and challenge the murder accusation,” he said.

Durst, the subject of the recent HBO documentary series “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” pleaded not guilty April 8 to a federal gun charge.

The New York millionaire was charged with breaking state and federal gun laws after FBI agents who stopped him at a New Orleans hotel found a .38-caliber revolver and marijuana in his room.

Agents were looking for Durst, 72, in connection with a Los Angeles murder warrant issued for the 2000 shooting of Susan Berman at her Benedict Canyon home.

Berman, Durst’s longtime friend, served as a spokeswoman for him after his first wife, Kathie, disappeared in 1982 in New York.

“Bob Durst didn’t kill Susan Berman and he doesn’t know who did,” DeGuerin said Thursday.

Durst has waived extradition to California, but Louisiana authorities have refused to release him.

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA.