World enews: Robert Durst charged with 1982 murder of missing wife days after being sentenced to life in jail for killing friend

Robert Durst has been charged with murder in the case of his first wife who went missing in 1982.

A New York state investigator filed a criminal complaint on Thursday at court in Lewisboro, in which the real estate heir was accused of committing second-degree murder.

The office of Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said in a statement on Friday that they could “confirm that a complaint charging Robert Durst with the murder of Kathleen Durst was filed in Lewisboro Town Court on October 19, 2021. We have no further comment at this time”.

Ms Rocah convened a grand jury last week to consider charges and have started hearing testimony from witnesses, according to The Associated Press.

The 78-year-old Durst was sentenced to life in prison last week for the murder of Susan Berman, a close friend who prosecutors allege helped Durst cover up the murder of his wife.

Durst has several medical problems and sat in a wheelchair during most of the sentencing. He recently tested positive for Covid-19 and has been put on a ventilator in hospital, according to one of his attorneys.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles claim that Durst shot Ms Berman when she was about to make a confession to authorities about the death of Kathie Durst. She was 29 years old when she disappeared on 31 January 1982.