A temporary suspension of all jury trials in Los Angeles County will go into effect March 16 in response to the spread of coronavirus, according to a source and an internal police memo obtained by CNN.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Josh Rubenstein confirmed the contents of the memo.
“Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, there will be a suspension of all jury trials, both those currently in progress, as well as those pending commencement, through March 30th. This notification applies to jury trials only,” the memo reads.
The hiatus would include the murder trial of multi-millionaire Robert Durst, pending a final approval from the judge presiding over the his case.
In a statement, Presiding Judge Kevin Brazile said that he does not have the authority to close the courts in the event of a pandemic but can make adjustments to lessen the flow of people in the courthouse.
Officials will re-examine the suspension decision before March 30, according to a police memo obtained by CNN.
Durst is accused of killing his best friend to stop her from incriminating him in the 1982 disappearance of his wife Kathleen McCormack Durst. The 76-year-old defendant was the subject of the HBO mini-series “The Jinx.”
He was arrested and charged in March 2015 in the death of Susan Berman, who was found dead in her Beverly Hills home two days before Christmas in 2000.
He has pleaded not guilty.