Who Is Robert Durst

Robert Durst, the eccentric real estate scion from one of New York City’s wealthiest families, was once a respected man in society. His criminal escapades, however, put him on the court’s radar in both Texas and California. Throughout the years he has been heavily scrutinized for the suspicious suicides of his close relatives, the murder of his former friend, and his own alleged run-ins with the law. Arrested on March 14, 2015, and accused of first-degree murder, Durst awaits a jury trial in Los Angeles.

Born in 1943 in New York City to millionaire Seymour Durst, Robert quickly gained attention and interest from the press as an heir to the Durst Organization’s considerable wealth. In 1990, he became the CEO of the family-run real estate Empire — an event that was met with much press and fanfare.

Despite all the attention and success, Robert Durst was quickly plunged into a stream of controversy and legal trouble. His first wife, Kathleen Durst, mysteriously went missing in Westchester County in 1982. This launched a years-long investigation by the New York medical investigation, which resulted in grand jury subpoenas and questions concerning Robert’s involvement. Then, in 2000, Durst’s friend, Susan Berman, was found dead in her California home. Though Durst was considered a suspect after writing a note to Berman that mirrored a message sent to police regarding her murder, he was never officially charged or named as a suspect during the investigation.

In 2001, Durst was arrested for allegedly disposing of the body parts belonging to his neighbor, Morris Black, who had been killed execution-style. During the trail, where he pleaded self-defense, his defense attorneys tried to paint him as a sympathetic figure, citing a history of mental illness, the traumatic events from his youth and the overall tribulations of his life as a Durst. Though the jury acquitted him of the murder, he skipped bail and eluded authorities for over two years. It wasn’t until months later, in October 2003, that Durst voluntarily surrendered to police in Pennsylvania. He plead guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter in 2004 and served a short jail sentence.

Though the trail was long and Robert Durst was never officially linked to any of the suspicious deaths that surrounded him, the saga of Durst’s life and his alleged innocence or guilt remains a focal point of the true-crime world. The events sparked the documentary series, The Jinx, in which Durst was featured. The finale episode of the series, which aired on HBO in March 2015, featured Durst’s own damning admission, leading to his eventual arrest on March 14, 2015. Though he has plead not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder, he has remained incarcerated in Los Angeles awaiting a trial set to begin in November.