Millionaire and real estate scion Robert Durst was indicted by a Westchester grand jury in the murder of his first wife Kathie on Monday, almost four decades after she vanished from their South Salem cottage. Her body has never been found. The grand jury charged Durst with second-degree murder after hearing evidence over the past two weeks, according to Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah. She called the indictment “a crucial step” after 39 years of speculation, one that comes just 10 months after her office “reinvigorated its investigation” into Durst.

Following the indictment, New York Supreme Court Judge Barry Warhit signed an arrest warrant to seek Durst’s extradition from the California state prison hospital he’s staying in while reportedly battling COVID-19 on a ventilator. The 78-year-old Durst was diagnosed with a case of coronavirus just two days after being sentenced to life in prison without parole on Oct. 14. The sentencing came after Durst was convicted in September of shooting and killing his best friend, Susan Berman, in 2000. He murdered Berman, a journalist, in a bid to keep her from approaching investigators with information about Kathie’s disappearance, including that she had allegedly helped Durst cover up Kathie’s killing.