Robert Durst, the New York Metropolis actual property inheritor who was convicted of murdering his buddy Susan Berman, has died in jail, his lawyer confirmed to CBS Information. He was 78. His lawyer, Chip Lewis, stated the dying was believed to be as a consequence of "pure causes related to the litany of medical points we had repeatedly reported to the court docket over the past couple of years." Durst was convicted in September and sentenced to life in jail with out the opportunity of parole in October. Durst was believed to have killed Berman at her Los Angeles-area house in 2000 to stop her from incriminating him within the 1982 disappearance of his spouse, Kathie. After a long time as an unsolved case, Durst was simply charged along with his spouse's homicide in October. "After 40 years spent in search of justice for her dying, I understand how upsetting this information should be for Kathleen Durst's household," Westchester County District Legal professional Miriam E. Rocah stated in a press release Monday after information of his dying. "We had hoped to permit them the chance to see Mr. Durst lastly face expenses for Kathleen's homicide as a result of we all know that each one households by no means cease wanting closure, justice and accountability." Durst's troubled historical past additionally included a trial for the 2001 killing of a neighbor in Galveston, Texas, for which he was acquitted. Durst grew to become a nationwide sensation after the 2015 HBO documentary "The Jinx," which chronicled his involvement within the three circumstances. On the finish of the documentary, he appeared to admit to the crimes that he had been implicated in, being caught on a mic whereas within the rest room saying to himself, "There it's. You are caught. Killed all of them, in fact." He had a number of medical points whereas in court docket, together with testing optimistic for COVID-19 earlier this 12 months, and was briefly on a ventilator. Durst was the son of New York actual property magnate Seymour Durst and the brother of Douglas Durst, who now could be on the helm of the billion-dollar Durst Group, which has a portfolio that features One World Commerce Middle. Prosecutors stated Robert Durst settled his share of the household fortune and estimated his web value at $100 million. Berman, whose father was a suspected Las Vegas mob determine, was an in depth buddy of Durst's from school, and the 2 grew to become nearer whereas he was married to Kathleen McCormack Durst, often known as Kathie. In late January 1982, Kathie Durst, who was ending medical college, immediately disappeared. Her associates say it was after a confrontation along with her husband at their suburban weekend house in Westchester County, however Robert Durst claimed he dropped her off to catch a practice again to New York Metropolis and that is the final time he ever noticed her. Durst referred to as New York police to report her lacking, and because the media picked up on the story, Berman grew to become his spokesperson. Regardless of efforts by police and Kathie's household and associates, investigators by no means discovered her physique and the case went chilly for a few years. After then-Westchester County District Legal professional Jeanine Pirro picked up within the case in 2000, Durst fled for Galveston, Texas, the place he disguised himself as a mute girl. A month after he went to Galveston, and 1,600 miles away in Los Angeles, murder detectives have been investigating the homicide of Durst's finest buddy Susan Berman, whose physique was discovered on Christmas Eve. Detectives had gone to her deal with after receiving a letter addressed to the "Beverley Hills Police Division" saying a "cadaver" was at that deal with. They discovered Berman, who had been shot at the back of the pinnacle. On the time, Durst was not even thought-about a suspect. However 9 months later, a number of rubbish luggage stuffed with human stays of Morris Black, a neighbor of Durst's in Galveston, washed up on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Durst claimed he shot and killed Black in self-defense after discovering him in his lounge, though Cody Cazalas, Galveston Main Crimes detective at the moment, informed CBS Information' "48 Hours" that Durst "most likely walked up behind him and shot him at the back of the pinnacle." The physique had been minimize up, the elements shoved into plastic luggage, and dumped into the Galveston Bay. Black's head was by no means discovered, so prosecutors have been by no means capable of decide whether or not it was an execution or just an accident as Durst claimed, and Durst's attorneys argued that he chopped up the physique out of panic. A jury acquitted him in 2003 of first-degree homicide, and in 2004, he pleaded responsible to expenses of bail leaping and proof tampering. He was sentenced to 5 years however was given credit score for time served, so he served one other three years earlier than being freed. Though he was the topic of a 2010 fictional film "All Good Issues" about Kathie's disappearance, public curiosity within the case actually picked up after "The Jinx." Durst was confronted with the letter to police about Berman's physique and one other letter he had written the place he had misspelled "Beverley." He couldn't verify which one he had written, after which when he excused himself to make use of the lavatory, he made the well-known mutterings. He was charged shortly afterward with Berman's homicide. When he was arrested in New Orleans in March 2015, he had a masks, pretend identification, medicine, $40,000 and a loaded handgun in his resort room. He alleged that he had been "on meth the entire time" when he spoke to filmmakers, however the case moved ahead anyway. The trial started in March 2020 and however was adjourned for 14 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors painted a portrait of a wealthy narcissist who did not assume the legal guidelines utilized to him and ruthlessly disposed of people that stood in his method. They interlaced proof of Berman's killing with Kathie Durst's suspected dying and Black's dying. "Bob Durst has been round loads of years, and he is been capable of commit loads of horrific crimes. We simply really feel actually gratified that he is been held accountable," Deputy District Legal professional John Lewin stated after Durst was convicted. "48 Hours" contributed to this report. For extra, watch the "48 Hours" episode "Homicide in Beverly Hills" right here:
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