Robert Durst, Convicted Murderer, Dead at 78

The notorious real estate heir was the subject of the hit HBO docuseries ‘The Jinx,’ the conclusion of which was the subject of intense media attention.

January 10, 2022

robert durst dead at 78 — Image via Getty/Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times
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The convicted murderer and notoriousThe Jinx subject died early Monday as a prisoner in California, as first reported by the New York Times. According to attorney Chip Lewis, Durst died at the San Joaquin General Hospital in the San Joaquin County community of French Camp after going into cardiac arrest.

In September of last year, Durst—a son of the late real estate mogul Seymour Durst—was found guilty for killing his friend Susan Berman in her Benedict Canyon residence in 2000.

Durst was convicted of killing Berman, 55, on Dec. 23, 2000 by shooting her in the back of the head. Prosecutors said during the trial that Durst—who in 2004 pleaded guilty to evidence tampering in connection with the dismemberment of neighbor Morris Black’s body—had killed Berman because of knowledge she had regarding the 1982 disappearance of Kathie McCormack, Durst’s first wife.

“The jury’s decision demonstrates how our legal system can work to hold accountable people regardless of their wealth and status in life,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said at the time. “I want to commend our prosecution team and investigators for their diligent work to ultimately bring justice for those who have been waiting more than 20 years.”

In October, Durst was sentenced to life in Berman’s murder. That same month, Durst was also charged with second-degree murder in connection with Kathie’s death. “We are very happy with this development,” a lawyer for Kathie’s family said at the time, per the Associated Press.

Speaking with Good Morning America in the wake of the Berman murder conviction last year, Jinx filmmaker Andrew Jarecki—who also directed the Durst-inspired 2010 movie All Good Things—was asked to detail his reaction to the verdict. “You can’t be amazed by it,” Jarecki said, as seen above.. “But at the time, it’s very gratifying because you also know this is a man who’s evaded justice for so long.”

The Jinx premiered on HBO in 2015, with the final episode of the six-part documentary infamously including damning off-camera remarks from Durst in a bathroom. While the episode included edited versions of these comments, including the widely discussed “killed them all” utterance, jurors in Durst’s murder trial heard the full recording in 2020.

Durst was reported last year to have been hospitalized with COVID-19.