Robert Durst has been skirting law enforcement officers since the early 80s on two unsolved murders committed in two states. Starting with the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack?in New York in 1982, in which he was the only suspect. They have never found a body, but she has been declared legally dead.
Durst has been apparently leaving a trail of dead bodies that seems to have finally caught up with him.
He has been the prime?suspect in the fatal shooting death of Susan Berman in West Los Angeles since the discovery of her body?on Christmas Eve 2000. Law enforcement officials received an ‘anonymous’ letter informing them that there was a ‘cadaver‘ located at the Berman address in ‘Beverley’ Hills. Responding to that tip, they discovered the lifeless body, shot execution-style in the back of the head.
In 2001, Durst admitted to ‘accidently’ killing his neighbor Morris Black?in Galveston, TX during a scuffle over a gun. After Black died, Durst dismembered the body and attempted to dispose of it in large black plastic bags. He was tried for that murder and was acquitted of the murder, but was convicted of evidence tampering and sentenced to five years in jail. He was released from prison in 2005.
Durst is a member of?prominent New York family?who own several buildings, including 11 major skyscrapers. In 1994, Durst’s father selected younger brother Douglas to run the family business. Since then, Durst has estranged himself from the family, even suing his brother for $65 million at one point.
Following the arrest of Robert on Saturday, Douglas made the following statement,
?We are relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst. We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done.?
This entire saga came to the forefront because of an HBO documentary mini-series titled “The Jinx“ that has been airing recently. The HBO folks conducted meticulous research.
“The filmmakers spent nearly 10 years researching Mr. Durst’s story: his upbringing as the eldest son of a family that controls 11 major skyscrapers in New York; his marriage to Ms. Durst, a medical student who lived in one of his family’s buildings, and its unraveling; his estrangement from his family after his father chose his younger brother, Douglas Durst, to run the business in 1994.”
Their research led to the discovery of handwriting similarities between the letter sent to police in 2000 and a letter addressed to Susan Berman from Durst. Both letters bore the curious misspelling of ‘Beverley’ Hills and similar writing styles.
“In the finale that aired Sunday evening on HBO, Durst was asked about similarities in handwriting in a letter he wrote and another linked to one of the killings. Later, filmmakers said Durst wore his microphone into the bathroom.”
During the filming of the final episode of the mini-series,?while wearing his mic during a visit to the restroom, Durst said, apparently to himself,
“There it is. You’re caught” and “What the hell did I do? Killed them all of course.”
In a statement from Los Angeles police,
“As a result of investigative leads and additional evidence that has come to light in the past year, investigators have identified Robert Durst as the person responsible for Ms. Berman’s death. Investigator’s in concert with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Major Crimes Section secured an Arrest warrant for Robert Durst for the murder of Susan Berman and arrested Mr. Durst on Saturday, March 14, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.”
Durst will now be extradited to Los Angeles from New Orleans, where he will face a jury regarding the Berman murder. His family seems relieved. With the admittance if guilt uttered?over the open mic during filming, it is?quite possible?that Durst might finally be ready to face the alleged crimes of his past.
