News January 10, 2022
Murderer Robert Durst, Subject of ‘The Jinx,’ Dead at 78
Robert Durst, 78, who was serving a life sentence for murder, died on Monday, The New York Times reports.
According to his lawyer Chip Lewis, the convicted murderer and subject of “The Jinx,” died at San Joaquin General Hospital. Lewis said he was taken to the facility for testing, but later went into cardiac arrest and died. Durst had previously battled COVID-19 and been placed on a ventilator at one point.
Lewis said the virus had made Durst’s existing medical issues worse.
Durst, a real estate scion worth millions, made headlines over the years for being linked to three mysterious deaths.
He was recently convicted of the 2000 first-degree murder of his friend and confidante Susan Berman and sentenced to life in prison.
According to The Times, it was believed that Durst shot Berman over what she knew about the 1982 disappearance of his wife Kathleen McCormack Durst.
Durst was also involved in the 2001 death of his elderly neighbor Morris Black, who was shot and dismembered. Durst was arrested on a murder charge but claimed self-defense and was later acquitted.
In 2010, director Andrew Jarecki made the movie “All Good Things” about Kathleen’s disappearance. The film starred Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.
Jarecki went on to make the docuseries “The Jinx” about Durst, which included interviews that ultimately led to his renewed interest in his past alleged crimes.
The 2015 series ended with filmmakers confronting Durst over handwriting samples that might be able to prove his involvement with Berman’s death. A shaken Durst went into the bathroom and, not knowing his microphone was still on, said, “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”
He was arrested the day before the finale aired.