Robert Durst: New York Real Estate Heir Convicted of Murder Dies at 78

Robert Durst was an American real estate heir who became one of the most notorious figures in recent true-crime history. Born on April 12, 1943, in New York City, he was the eldest son of real estate magnate Seymour Durst, and his grandfather founded the Durst Organization in 1927.

Durst was linked to three cases. His first wife, Kathie, disappeared in 1982, and he was charged with her murder in 2021 but died before trial. His friend Susan Berman was killed in Los Angeles in 2000, and he was convicted of her murder in 2021 and sentenced to life without parole. In 2003 he was acquitted of murdering his neighbor Morris Black in Galveston, Texas, after claiming self-defense, though he admitted dismembering the body.

The HBO documentary series The Jinx (2015) helped lead to his arrest in New Orleans the day before its finale aired. Durst was bought out of the family trust for about $65 million in 2006 after a bitter feud with his brother Douglas. He died of cardiac arrest on January 10, 2022, at age 78, at a hospital in French Camp, California, while in state custody. His Berman conviction was later vacated because his appeal was still pending.

Achievements: Heir to the Durst Organization real estate fortune, acquitted of the murder of Morris Black (2003), arrested after The Jinx (2015), convicted of the murder of Susan Berman (2021).

Birth: April 12, 1943 - New York City.

Profession: Real estate heir.

Interesting Facts: He was arrested in New Orleans in March 2015, shortly before the final episode of The Jinx aired. His mother died when he was seven.