Robert Durst may have successfully evaded justice for decades thanks to his millions, but the New York real estate heir and convicted murderer ultimately died while incarcerated in a state prison for sick inmates.
Durst’s many legal troubles, including a conviction for the execution murder of one of his best friends and an indictment for the murder of his first wife in 1982, finally caught up with him when he was a frail man in his 70s.
The Manhattan millionaire faced declining health and suffered from several ailments, including COVID-19, while serving multiple prison sentences in California.
Durst, whose bizarre story continues to be told in season two of Max’s “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” which premiered April 21, died in January 2022 after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 78.
Here’s everything you need to know about Robert Durst’s death.
Who was Robert Durst?
Robert Durst was born in April 1943 in New York City. He was the eldest son of a wealthy real estate magnate Seymour Dursthead of the Durst Organization, which owns some of the city’s most iconic buildings.
According to The New York Times, the Durst family empire was reportedly worth $8 billion in 2021.
What crimes did Robert Durst commit?
In October 2021, Durst was sentenced to life in prison for the execution murder of his close friend and confidante Susan Berman, who was shot point blank in the back of the head in December 2000.
Berman was scheduled to speak to prosecutors about the 1982 disappearance of Durst’s first wife, Kathie Durst, around the time of her death.
The following month, Robert Durst was indicted on murder charges in connection with the January 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathie Durst, who was 29.
In November 2003, Robert Durst was acquitted of the murder of his elderly neighbor Morris Black, despite the fact that Durst admitted in court that he dismembered Black’s body and threw it in garbage bags in Galveston Bay, Texas.
Durst told the jury that Black was accidentally shot as the two struggled over a gun during a physical altercation in Durst’s boarding room, according to a 2008 episode of NBC’s “Dateline.”
Durst explained in court that he panicked because police found Black’s body in his home, so he decided to dismember it and throw the piece into the bay.
Did Durst ever confess to killing one of his victims?
In April 2012, while filming the season finale of “The Jinx,” Durst muttered what many took as a confession while talking to himself.
After a tense exchange with Andrew Jarecki, the director of the Emmy-winning docuseries, Durst excused himself to go to the bathroom, presumably unaware that his microphone was still recording him.
Alone in the bathroom, Durst whispered to himself in a grim, long monologue, “What the hell did I do? Of course I killed them all.”
Legal experts have debated the legitimacy of the confession, noting that the series’ producers later revealed that they edited Durst’s conversation with himself.
During the 2021 trial for the murder of Susan Berman, Durst’s best friend, Nick Chavin, testified that Durst had confessed to him in 2014 that he had killed Berman.
Season two of “The Jinx” features Chavin at the booth remembering Durst telling him, “I had to.” It was her or me. I had no choice.”
How did Durst die?
Durst died on January 10, 2022 at the age of 78 at San Joaquin General Hospital after suffering cardiac arrest.
Durst’s health deteriorated while he was in jail on weapons charges during his trial for Berman’s murder.
In October 2021, the same week Durst was sentenced to life in prison for Berman’s murder, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on a ventilator.
In June 2021, he was hospitalized for an unspecified health ailment, prompting the judge in the Berman trial to send jurors home.
One of Durst’s attorneys had previously asked the judge to delay the trial because Durst had reportedly been diagnosed with bladder cancer and other health problems. The judge rejected the request.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, who successfully prosecuted Durt for Berman’s murder, said in a statement that the real estate heir had died “without remorse.”
“It’s a shame when anyone loses their life, but it’s important to remember that Bob Durst lived to be 78 years old, decades longer than two of his victims,” Lewin said. ‘To the end he was hostile, remorseful and unrepentant. My thoughts and sympathies are with his victims.”
At the time of his death, Durst was reportedly worth more than $100 million.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
