| “ | There it is. You're caught! You're right of course. But you can't imagine. Arrest him. I don't know what you expected to get. I don't know what's in the house. Oh, I want this. Killed them all of course. I wanted to do something new. There's nothing new about that. What a disaster. He was right. I was wrong. And the burping. I'm having difficulty with the question. What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course. | ” |
— Durst's recorded "confession", which was revealed to be altered away from its ambiguity
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Robert Alan "Bobby" Durst was an American killer and suspected serial killer.
Background[]
Durst was born on April 12, 1943 in Manhattan, New York City as the first of four children. His family owns a real estate business called the Durst Organization that was founded by his grandfather Joseph. His father Seymour and brother Douglas are both real estate investors for the company and his mother Bernice was a socialite. On November 8, 1950, Bernice Durst fell to her death from the roof of the family's three-story home. It was never determined whether or not her death was an accident or a suicide (though a Durst employee called police saying that he saw her climbing on to the roof in a bathrobe, suggesting the latter), nor if Durst himself (7 years-old at the time) actually witnessed this event or not, as he and Douglas contradicted each other as to whether or not he did (with the former saying he was forced to watch while police tried for around a half-hour to stop her, while Douglas claimed in a 2015 interview that he and his siblings were hiding in a neighbor's house at the time). Regardless, Durst and Douglas attended counseling for sibling rivalry. Durst was described as a loner in high school and, after graduating, attended Lehigh University, where he served as the business manager of the student newspaper and was on the varsity lacrosse team. He graduated in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in economics. Durst later enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of California (Los Angeles), and it was here where he met and befriended journalist Susan Berman (the daughter of mobster David Berman). Durst withdrew from UCLA in 1969 and returned to New York.
Durst had no interest in running the family business and instead opened a small health-food store, but later closed the business in 1973 after Seymour urged him to come home and work with the Durst Organization. Durst would go on to live under dozens of aliases and made many purchases of cars, apartments, and credit card accounts. He is also reputed to have owned seven dogs who he named "Igor" and they all died under mysterious circumstances (supposedly so he could practice killing and dismembering human corpses, according to Douglas). Durst had once said he wanted to "Igor" Douglas. Family tradition dictated that the eldest child would become the next leader of the business, a position Durst expected to be his in spite of his distaste for it. However, Durst had displayed inappropriate conduct during his time working there. Thus, Seymour appointed Douglas as the business' leader in 1992. Durst was enraged at this and the rift between the two brothers only grew, which extended to the rest of the family as well. Durst would later sue for a share of the business' profit in 2006 and was cut out of the family trust for $65,000,000 in exchange for him giving up pursuing the business. He would marry Debrah Charatan on December 11, 2000, supposedly for "convenience" and with the intent of committing suicide and leaving his inheritance to her. He signed over his power of attorney to Debrah in 2002 and later gave her $20,000,000 from his trust. Skepticism about their marriage is abundant, with Debrah supposedly living with and even engaging in philanthropic ventures real-estate attorney Stephen Holm. She was regarded as Holm's wife after his death in 2019 and was reported as such by numerous sources.
The First Three Murders[]
Kathleen McCormack[]
Durst married a dental hygienist and college student Kathleen McCormack on his 30th birthday in 1973. The couple had several residences in Vermont, New York, and Manhattan. Three weeks prior to her disappearance, the couple got into a fight in which Durst left Kathleen with several bruises, for which she received treatment at a nearby hospital; she never reported the incident. Kathleen was last seen at a dinner party on January 31, 1982 before leaving after receiving a call from Durst and returning to her New York martial home. Police were notified of her disappearance after she failed to appear at a planned get-together at a Manhattan pub and Durst filed a missing person report. A divorce was seemingly pending when Durst essentially cut off all financial support to her. Some of her friends later broke into her cottage but found her belongings in the trash and the place ransacked. Durst denied any involvement in Kathleen's disappearance and filed for divorce eight years after she disappeared. Her family had her legally declared dead in 2017 and unsuccessfully tried to sue Durst.
Susan Berman[]
On December 24, 2000, Susan Berman was found murdered in her home after a neighbor reported her door was left open and her dog was loose. She had been shot execution-style with a 9mm pistol. She had helped Durst's alibi regarding McCormack's disappearance and had taken a deposition regarding the matter. Durst had been in northern California around the time of the murder and had been informed by Berman that the police had re-opened the investigation into McCormack's disappearance. It has been speculated that Berman knew about it and was killed to silence her.
Morris Black[]
"I did not kill my best friend, but I did dismember him."
The dismembered remains of Morris Black (who had been Durst's neighbor) were found floating in Galveston Bay in October 2001. Durst was arrested shortly after on the 9th. After being released through bail, Durst skipped his court date and stalked Douglas while armed for sometime. He was later arrested on November 30 after being caught trying to steal items from a supermarket. A search of his rental car turned up evidence, including two handguns, marijuana, $37,000, and Black's driver's license. Durst would be extradited to Texas to face trial.
Durst was charged for Black's death in 2003. He alleged that Black had threatened him with a .22 pistol and that the two had gotten into a scuffle when he tried to disarm Black, causing the gun to discharge and shoot Black dead. He then dismembered the body and dumped the remains in the bay. As Black's decapitated head was never found, Durst's story could not be collaborated. Durst was acquitted of Black's death on November 11 due to a lack of evidence.
Later arrests[]
Although he was acquitted for killing Black, he still ultimately pleaded guilty to bail jumping and for evidence tampering (for dismembering Black's corpse) and was sentenced to five years on December 11. Durst was paroled on July 15, 2005 but was re-arrested in December that same year after running into his case's judge at the mall (he was not allowed to travel and had visited the home where Black died). He was jailed for violating his parole and was released on March 1, 2006.
Several years later, Durst was finally arrested by the FBI on March 14, 2015 for the murder of Susan Burman after a warrant was issued for murder. Incriminating evidence was found in his possession, including a .38 revolver, drugs, lots of money, a fake ID, and maps of Cuba (which seem to indicate he was planning to flee there to avoid extradition). Durst was charged for being a felon possessing a firearm and a controlled substance. Durst ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 85 months in prison on February 3, 2016.
2019 trial and Death[]
Durst was set to stand trial for the murder of Susan Burman. The trial was repeatedly delayed for various reasons (such as the COVID pandemic, a hurricane, and Durst's own failing health caused by numerous illnesses). On September 17, 2021, Durst was finally convicted for the murder of Susan Berman. In October 2021, Durst received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Douglas Durst claimed at his brother's trial that Durst attempted to blame his childhood events for his criminal behavior and a close friend of his alleged he confessed to the murder.
During his prison sentence, Durst was diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2021, which exacerbated other medical conditions. On January 10, 2022, he passed away from cardiac arrest while undergoing testing. As he died before a trial for McCormack's murder could begin, the case remains unsolved. Her family later attempted to sue for Durst's money, which his second wife was denied access, but the case appears to be ongoing.
Modus Operandi[]
Since Durst was only convicted of one murder, the term "M.O." may be somewhat misused. When he killed Susan Burman (supposedly to eliminate her as a witness in the supposed murder of Kathleen McCormack), he shot her in the head execution-style with a 9mm pistol in her home. When he supposedly killed Morris Black, he shot him in the face "accidentally" with a .22 target pistol (allegedly after the two got into a fight after Black threatened Durst with it). He then used a paring knife, two saws, and an axe to dismember Black's body before bagging and dumping his remains in Galveston Bay. How he may have killed McCormack is unknown, as her body was never found.
Profile[]
A psychiatrist who counseled a 10 year-old Durst noted that he had "personality decomposition and possibly even schizophrenia"
Known Victims[]
The Three Murders[]
- January 31st, 1982 (disappeared), Newton, Connecticut: Kathleen McCormack (his first wife; her homes were ransacked and her belongings were thrown away; previously beaten; her body was never found; Durst died before facing trial for her death)
- December 23rd, 2000, Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California: Susan Berman, 55 (shot in her head execution-style with a 9mm handgun; left her door open and her fox terriers to run away; sent a letter to the LAPD with her address and "cadaver" written under it; was convicted)
- October 9th, 2001 (found), Galveston Bay, Texas: Morris Black (reportedly shot in his face during a struggle, dismembered and thrown into the see post-mortem; claimed as self-defense; not all of him, including his head, was ever found; was acquitted for this crime)
Other Crimes[]
- November 30th, 2001, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: A victimless Wegmans shoplifting arrest (tried to steal Band-Aids, a newspaper, and a chicken salad sandwich)
- December 10th, 1971 (disappeared), Middlebury, Vermont: Lynne Schulze, 18
- June 23, 1997 (disappeared), San Francisco, California: Kristen Modafferi, 18
- November 25, 1997 (disappeared), Eureka, California: Karen Mitchell, 16
- New York, 2001-2014: Douglas Durst (stalked and harassed; was acquitted and relieved of restraining orders)
- July 2014, Houtson, Texas: Numerous unnamed shoppers (all flashed while urinating into a candy rack in a CVS store; was fined $500)
Note: Durst's murder of Morris Black was presumed to be similar to The Gilgo Beach Killer, but any connections he could have to the murders have yet to be confirmed or disproven.
On Criminal Minds[]
- Season Twelve
- "A Good Husband" - Durst was mentioned by Lewis, who asked if he was in town while the team was discussing the case at hand. Reid answers her negatively, stating he's serving seven years on a weapons charge.