Millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst has pleaded not guilty to two weapons charges related to his arrest last month , further delaying his extradition to California to face murder charges . Durst entered his plea during an arraignment in a New Orleans court on weapons charges that accused him of possessing a firearm after a felony conviction and possessing both a firearm and an illegal drug , marijuana . Durst 's hands were shackled to his sides , and two defense attorneys lifted him from an armchair to his feet to walk to the podium . Unlikely to face charges in California anytime soon : Robert Durst , 71 , pleaded not guilty Thursday to two state gun charges in Louisiana in a case that would delay his extradition to LA to face murder charges . Durst is pictured here last month in New Orleans . Attorney Dick DeGuerin whispered into Durst 's ear as he entered the plea . He had to whisper twice before Durst said , ' I am not guilty , your honor . ' Judge Franz Zibilich asked if Durst was making that plea to both charges against him . DeGuerin whispered again , and Durst said , 'Yes , your honor . ' The weapons arrest has kept Durst in New Orleans even though he waived extradition to California , where he 's charged in the December 2000 death of a longtime friend . Durst is being held without bail in the mental ward of a state prison . Durst 's story also is playing out two miles away in federal court in New Orleans . An affidavit filed there accuses Durst of breaking a federal law prohibiting felons from possessing firearms . Prosecutors have asked a U.S. magistrate judge to order Durst to be brought to federal court for a hearing next Thursday — and that he remain in U.S. custody until the federal matter is resolved . Durst , an estranged member of the family that runs 1 World Trade Center in New York , has had multiple run-ins with the law over his nearly 72 years . He was arrested in New Orleans last month on the eve of the finale of a six-part HBO documentary called 'The Jinx ' about Durst , the disappearance of his first wife in 1982 , the death of a longtime friend in 2000 and the death and dismemberment of a neighbor in Galveston in 2001 . Murdered : Susan Berman , who acted as a media spokesperson for Durst in the wake of his wife 's disappearance , was shot in the head at her LA home in 2000 , just as the cold case into the disappearance of Kathleen Durst was reopened . Durst was charged with Berman 's murder last month . A self-defense plea won acquittal in the death of Morris Black , but Durst is charged in Los Angeles with murder in the death of longtime friend Susan Berman , 55 , who was shot in the head in 2000 . Berman , an author , acted as a media spokesperson for Durst in the wake of his wife 's disappearance . The Jinx suggested she knew a lot about Durst . Her death coincided with the cold case of Kathleen Durst 's disappearance being reopened . Durst 's lawyers , DeGuerin and Billy Gibbens , have said repeatedly that he just wants to go to California to deal with that charge . They also have challenged the weapons charges on several grounds , including the allegation that the FBI 'rummaged ' through Durst 's belongings before getting an arrest or search warrant . But Andrea Armstrong , a criminal law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans , said Wednesday that 'the fact that it was warrantless does n't necessarily mean it was unconstitutional . ' There are at least 11 circumstances , starting with consent , that make it legal to search without a warrant , she said . DeGuerin also has argued that the two felonies to which Durst pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania — possessing a firearm while a fugitive and doing so while under indictment — are not among those that would make it illegal for him to have a gun . Until his indictment Wednesday , Durst had been arrested but not formally charged in connection with the .38-caliber revolver authorities say was found in his room at the J.W . Marriott , where he was staying under the name Everette Ward . According to court testimony , an FBI agent recognized Durst in a New Orleans hotel March 14 and escorted him to his hotel room . Durst was arrested early March 15 on the Los Angeles warrant and arrested separately on the weapons charges the next day . Durst 's lawyers say the arrest in New Orleans was timed to coincide with the final episode of 'The Jinx , ' which also described the disappearance of his wife , Kathleen , in 1982 from New York ; the Los Angeles shooting of Berman , 55 , in 2000 ; and Black 's death in 2001 .
Robert Durst was indicted Wednesday on the two weapons charges that have kept him in New Orleans . Grand jury charged Durst with possession of a firearm by a felon , and possession of both a firearm and an illegal weapon : 5 ounces of marijuana . On Thursday he pleaded in court to plead not guilty . Durst , 71 , is wanted in California for the murder of his wife sue Berman . Berman , an author who formerly acted a sympathetic spokeswoman for Durst , was shot in the head at her Benedict ##wood home in 2000 .