Robert Durst has been absolved of state gun charges in Louisiana. The ruling on Thursday clears the way for federal proceedings on similar charges in New Orleans, which local lawyers believe he can win. Durst, 72, who faces a murder charge in an unrelated California case, remains jailed without bond in Louisiana. Scroll down for video . Next step: Jailed millionaire Robert Durst has been absolved of state gun charges in Louisiana. He will now face federal charges, which lawyers believe he can win, before a murder trial in California . He was arrested at a hotel in the New Orleans capital in March a day before the finale of his HBO docu-series The Jinx. Authorities said he had a gun and marijuana in his room. Defense Attorney Dick DeGuerin said state and federal prosecutors had been discussing the possibility of the state case being dismissed. He says he was pleased with the decision. 'It makes sense to try this case in federal court because FBI agents arrested Mr. Durst, and there shouldn't be two prosecutions, state and federal, at the same time for the same crime,' DeGuerin said in an email. 'We're looking forward to our day in court.' A spokesman for District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro confirmed the move, saying Cannizzaro has a close working relationship with federal authorities in New Orleans. 'The District Attorney did reserve the right to look at the case again upon its conclusion in federal court,' assistant prosecutor Christopher Bowman said. Durst had faced state charges of possessing a handgun with drugs and illegal possession of a handgun by a felon. Legal battle: The 72-year-old was arrested in March the day before the finale of an HBO docu-series about him . Durst (right) was arrested for the murder of his friend and writer Susan Berman (left) in 2000, which some believe he may have committed to stop her from talking to authorities about the disappearance of his wife . Durst, the heir to a vast real estate fortune before becoming estranged from his family, is also connected to the 1982 disappearance of first wife Kathy McCormack (left, with Durst) and the killing of Morris Black (right) The charge in the federal indictment says Durst violated the federal gun-control act because he was in possession of a firearm after being convicted of earlier felonies. His lawyers say the arrest in mid-March was timed to mesh with the finale of The Jinx, HBO's six-part series about Durst, his wife's disappearance, Berman's death, and the death and dismemberment of Durst's neighbor Morris Black in 2001. Authorities found more than $44,000 in Durst's hotel room, according to legal papers filed Wednesday. After his arrest, they intercepted a package containing personal items and $117,000 that was sent to the hotel for Everette Ward — the name Durst used to register there. During a hearing last month, a prosecutor said the package of $100 bills, a head-and-chest latex mask and a map folded to show Louisiana, Florida and Cuba were evidence that Durst was likely to flee if bond was set for him. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Jailed millionaire arrested in March for 'gun and marijuana possession' On Thursday, a Louisiana state judge threw out the case . Lawyers believe he will win federal case with similar charges . Durst is also charged with murder in California .