Inside the Troubled Life of Robert Durst

Robert Durst, the son of New York City real estate tycoon Seymour Durst, was a convicted killer and real estate heir.

He became a person of interest in his first wife Kathleen McCormack's 1982 disappearance, the murder of his close friend Susan Berman in 2000, and the killing of his neighbor Morris Black in 2001.

Robert's Life Before Crime

Robert Durst was born on April 12, 1943, in New York City. He was the eldest son of Seymour Durst, a wealthy real estate developer, and his wife Bernice Herstein. Durst grew up in Scarsdale, a wealthy suburb of New York, where he attended Scarsdale High School.

Durst's childhood was marked by the disappearance of his mother when he was seven years old, an event that had a profound impact on him. He later attended Lehigh University but dropped out before graduating.

Despite being the heir to the Durst Organization, Durst wasn't interested in joining his father's business. Instead, in the early 1970s, he ventured into the world of small business by opening a health-food store in Vermont. However, his father eventually convinced him to return to New York, leading to the closure of Durst's store in 1973.

Durst's inappropriate behavior led to his father appointing Douglas, Durst's younger brother, as the successor of the Durst Organization in 1992. Despite not having any interest in the family business, Durst still believed that he was entitled to inherit it and accused Douglas of stealing his rightful share.

This caused a rift between Durst and his family. Eventually, Durst filed a lawsuit to claim his portion of the family fortune and was bought out of the family trust for a sum of $65 million in 2006.

The Disappearance of Durst's First Wife

Kathleen McCormack Durst, the first wife of Robert Durst, disappeared on January 31, 1982. At the time, the couple was living in a luxury apartment in New York City.

McCormack was a fourth-year student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in The Bronx, studying to become a pediatrician when she disappeared. Tragically, she went missing only a few months before completing her degree.

Kathleen McCormack Durst had been treated for facial bruises three weeks before her disappearance, which she told a friend were caused by her husband Robert Durst.

She had asked for a $250,000 divorce settlement, but instead, Robert cancelled her credit card, removed her name from a joint bank account, and refused to pay her medical school tuition.

The Case of Susan Berman

Susan Berman, a close friend of Robert Durst, was found murdered in her home in Benedict Canyon, California, on December 24, 2000. She had been shot execution-style in the back of the head. At the time of her death, Berman was believed to have information about the 1982 disappearance of Kathleen McCormack Durst, Robert's first wife.

The Death of Morris Black

In October 9, 2001, Durst was taken into custody in Galveston following the discovery of body parts belonging to his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, floating in Galveston Bay.

After being released on $250,000 bail for the murder of Morris Black, Robert Durst missed a court hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest for bail jumping. He was caught in Pennsylvania on November 30. Among the items found in his rental car were $37,000 in cash, two guns, marijuana, Black's driver's license.

Robert Durst Dies

Robert Durst passed away on January 10, 2022, at the age of 78 from cardiac arrest while undergoing medical testing at San Joaquin General Hospital in Stockton, California. At the time of his death, he was still under the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.