Last Friday, Denver defense lawyer Jeffrey Wolf appeared on the Morning Docket with Jesse Weber to discuss the Robert Durst Murder Trial.
Durst is on trial for allegedly killing his friend Susan Berman because she was planning to speak to authorities about the disappearance of Durst’s first wife.
Last week in court, Durst could be heard speaking to his attorney and said he planned to “make a fool” out of Deputy District Attorney John Lewin when he (Durst) testifies.
“It is a trial lawyer’s nightmare to have your client talk loud enough for everyone to hear it. And this is something that’s been rampant on WebEx trials over the last year and a half,” explained Wolf.
WebEx is a web conferencing company, and its services have been customized to meet the needs of courtrooms across the country, particularly amid the pandemic.
Wolf went on to describe how people tuning in to proceedings via WebEx can text their colleagues in court with audio gleaned from the web conferencing service.
The Durst case presents multiple battlefronts for the defense, the least of which involve new technology in the courtroom. Durst is suspected of involvement in two murders and confessed to a third, but was acquitted at trial after claiming self-defense in 2001.
“It’s an absolute nightmare,” said Wolf. “You don’t want to have to fight these battles…and the rules of evidence say that you shouldn’t have to fight these battles. And that’s the crux of this entire case and the prosecution’s theory…”
Watch the full video for extended commentary from Jeff Wolf or for more details about the case.
