The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst

[Clanstarling]

A once-in-lifetime documentary "get."  For us the viewers, not only the filmmakers.

 

Durst's "Claudius goes to the bathroom while Hamlet listens nearby" monologue...I want to know who, to Durst, is the "he" in, "He was right.  I was wrong."  The obvious and most likely answer is his lawyer.  Yet other possibilities might include some unknown confidant, or even Durst himself.

I couldn't help myself - when he said that, what came to mind was Gollum. Damn those tricksy filmmakers!

Unless there's other evidence they didn't show, I can see a defense attorney finding some compelling scenarios to cause reasonable doubt. Previous convictions are often not admissible in court (or trials, I guess that would be, rather than a conviction).

Edited March 16, 2015 by clanstarling

[editorgrrl]

Listening again to the bathroom monologue...to me it begins as a dialogue between Durst the corrupt, unsparing judge, and Durst the frightened miscreant.  It ends that way, as well.  Here's the full transcript, as it played out but divided into sides: 

 

Persona 1:  “There it is. You’re caught. "  

Persona 2:  "You’re right, of course. But, you can’t imagine."

Persona 1:  "Arrest him."  (Meaning, that's what the world/Seymour/Douglas/Jarecki will or would say now.)   

Persona 2:  "I don’t know what’s in the house. Oh, I want this." (I think "this" may be prosaic: a towel, or some medication -- something needed in the moment.)  "What a disaster.  He was right. I was wrong. And the burping. (He vomits, or tries to.)  I’m having difficulty with the question...What the hell did I do?”

Persona 1:  “Killed them all, of course.”

 

I love this theory. But it's entirely possible TPTB heavily edited this conversation. And for all we know, Bob was on his phone.

[Morbs]

After the thrill of watching it last night, I'm also much less impressed with the "confession".  Buzzfeed also is wondering if the audio was edited.  I realize I'm being strident and self righteous, but I really think we were overly manipulated and now the filmmakers are running scared.

 

 

I am also curious as to what kind of half-assed sound guy they hired who didn't immediately hear Durst muttering to himself in the bathroom? They only "discovered" that audio years after the fact? Apparently Jarecki took "no one tells the whole truth" as an admonition.

 

The interviews were the framework and inspiration for the entire series.  It's ludicrous that the entire interview wasn't thoroughly logged and picked apart.  I don't get why the NYT didn't jump all over that statement the first time Jarecki said it.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Morbs

[Pallas]

it's entirely possible TPTB heavily edited this conversation. And for all we know, Bob was on his phone.

 

You're right: both are entirely possible.  It's just my hunch that Durst wanted out of that hotel room, and only ducked into the bathroom because he needed to. Needed to see if he were going to throw up, and maybe wanted to take some medication while he had the chance, before he even hit the street.  

 

The sound effects (water running in the basin, his heaving) make a good score to that theory.  And I just don't know that he would have made a necessarily hushed and rushed phone call, from the john, only a few feet away from making his escape.  Most of all, there's the way he says, "There it is: you're caught."  So intimate, that tone.  So familiar, so confiding. Even the urgent, intense whispers that follow still convey that same intimacy.  It's hard for me to imagine Durst's speaking to anyone else, about anything at all, with such...fellow-feeling. 

[FuriousStyles]

I think little brother Dougie will do anything he can to help put Bob away.  They spent quite a lot of time -- I think it was in episode 2 -- on how the two brothers have always hated each other.  Doug has nothing good to say about Bob.  Bob has nothing good to say about Doug.  So while I'm not questioning Bob's guilt, I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the bits Doug has contributed, perhaps including the dead dogs, were every bit as fabricated as Bob's alibis.  I don't see the Durst family closing in to protect Bob.  Will Doug benefit financially if Bob is sent to jail for life? 

I don't see what Doug would have to gain by lying.  He's not going to put his own integrity on the line just to sully Bob's name.  The dog thing is something that could easily be verified by other family members.  As far as finances go, years ago Robert got about $65 million in a settlement in which he relinquished any and all access or entitlement to the family fortune.  So I don't think if Robert goes to prison now, it means anything for Doug financially. 

 

Just watched Jeffrey Toobin and Mark Geragos on Anderson Cooper.  They both agree the audio in the bathroom is definitely admissible in court.  Robert has no expectation of privacy when dealing with journalists, even in a bathroom. And the fact that he knew he was mic'ed makes it worse for him.  I think they both said the letters could also be admissible, but since handwriting analysis is not an exact science like dna or other forensics, it could be hit or miss.  All the lawyers/expert analysts can say is that "yeah these two samples are similar and could have been written by the same person".

Edited March 17, 2015 by FuriousStyles

[missy jo]

I tend toward giving Jarecki the benefit of the doubt about the timelines and when they notified police. At least he's more believable than Robert Durst!

 

ETA: "Killed them all, of course," which could've been sarcastic or imitating someone else, wasn't the most fascinating piece of the final scene. First it was Durst's physical reaction in the moment (burping, etc.) and then the start of his monologue, "That's it. You're caught."

Edited March 17, 2015 by missy jo

[HeatherinThailand]

Holy shit! It is times like this that I am glad I live an ocean away from the madness of people like Robert Durst. I have been waiting for this episode all week on the edge of my seat, but I never thought I'd get to hear a money shot like that one. I agree though, that there are all sorts of ways to spin his "confession" that may end up with him getting off again, but hopefully he will finally get tired of lying and running in his old age and just spill. I do think he is a psychopath, but I tend to agree with whoever said in an earlier episode that he doesn't "enjoy killing" but he gets rid of people who are causing him a problem. Then again, most psychopaths are not serial killers and most killers are not psychopaths. What I can't stop thinking about is the person who said in the beginning he and Kathie were so obviously in love, when now he shows no emotion at all when talking about her, as if they were strangers. So either he was a better actor as a psychopath when he was younger to be able to mimic other people's emotions, or he thinks he has gotten away with it for so long he is untouchable and can't be bothered with pretending to care anymore.

Downside to living overseas: I had NO IDEA he was arrested the day before, now I'm gonna have to go down the rabbit hole reading all about the details of that!

[terrymct]

In this episode, I think it's when Jarecki shows the photocopy of the Beverly Hills PD envelope to Bob, I thought man, that thing is filthy! Then I realized it had been dusted with black fingerprint powder. In fact, many prints were now visible on the thing. So either the BHPD was incompetent and missed Bob's prints, or else Bob was crafty.

 

Prints on the outside of an envelope would be tricky as evidence.  Lots of people could handle an envelope, from before it left her apartment (Bob could say that he once borrowed an envelope from her by opening her box of envelopes and getting one out.  Could have touched another one in the box.) to all the people at the Post Office sorting and delivering mail.  It seems like you'd optimally want a print on the note itself, especially in a position that indicated the person was holding the piece of paper.

[editorgrrl]

What I can't stop thinking about is the person who said in the beginning he and Kathie were so obviously in love, when now he shows no emotion at all when talking about her, as if they were strangers. So either he was a better actor as a psychopath when he was younger to be able to mimic other people's emotions, or he thinks he has gotten away with it for so long he is untouchable and can't be bothered with pretending to care anymore.

Several pictures of Bob & Kathie (and even Bob & Susan) show her hanging all over Bob & him pulling away. Friends & family might easily mistake such behavior as love (rather than dysfunction).

[spaceghostess]

Several pictures of Bob & Kathie (and even Bob & Susan) show her hanging all over Bob & him pulling away. Friends & family might easily mistake such behavior as love (rather than dysfunction).

I keep going back to those snapshots; the one where he's sitting in the chair with Kathie's arms around him as he leans (and looks) away, and the one where Susan Berman's arms are around him. Both women are smiling (Berman as if she's having her best day ever while Durst stares expressionlessly into the camera). To me, these are strange. The more common response might be blushing embarrassment (accompanied by laughs or smiles) if one didn't want to be snapped in a cuddle with a significant other or friend. He looks uncomfortable, and it would stand out if I knew them socially . . . unless I'd gotten so used to his physical tics and habits that it no longer did. Or if I were more focused on the love or warmth emanating from the person about whom I cared more (Susan or Kathie, if I were a friend/family member) and Bob only seemed loving by association. Then again, "normal" for Durst may have been running to the other side of the room if someone touched him, so perhaps allowing as much contact as we see in the photos meant he really liked someone.

[Proclone]

I tend toward giving Jarecki the benefit of the doubt about the timelines and when they notified police. At least he's more believable than Robert Durst!

 

ETA: "Killed them all, of course," which could've been sarcastic or imitating someone else, wasn't the most fascinating piece of the final scene. First it was Durst's physical reaction in the moment (burping, etc.) and then the start of his monologue, "That's it. You're caught."

 

Yeah for me it was "That's it. You're caught," that actually sent chills down my spine. "Caught" implies guilt.  You don't say you're "caught" unless you've actually done something wrong.  If he hadn't actually killed Susan you would think his reaction would be, "Dear God, they're going to think I did it because the handwriting so similar, but I didn't."

 

I didn't really intend to but I wound up binge watching this all last night.  It was very compelling and Robert Durst is one creepy man.  I tend to think that Bob really did love Kathie and Susan (and he also probably at least liked Morris) or at least came as close to loving them as he is capable, but he only "loved" them insomuch as they added to his life.  He talked about how Kathie was outgoing and she was the opposite of him.  He liked that when she made people like her and by extension like him, but when she pulled away too far and was no longer able to be controlled then she had to go.  I honestly think he probably regrets all the murders but sees them as necessary evils.  Kathie was going to leave him and take his money, Susan was going to blackmail him for money, Morris was probably going to blackmail him too.  I agree with one of Detectives from Texas, I don't think he goes out intending to kill people, but he has no compunction against doing so if he is the least bit threatened. 

 

The NYPD should be ashamed BTW in how they handled Kathie's case.  Perhaps if they hadn't just taken Bob's word on things (especially after they caught him in the lie about going to the neighbors for a drink), they one might have found Kathie's body and her poor family could have closure and two other people wouldn't be dead.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Proclone

[NumberCruncher]

The NYPD should be ashamed BTW in how they handled Kathie's case.  Perhaps if they hadn't just taken Bob's word on things (especially after they caught him in the lie about going to the neighbors for a drink), they one might have found Kathie's body and her poor family could have closure and two other people wouldn't be dead.

Yes, and I'll add to this that the Westchester detective didn't score any points for disregarding Kathie's friends when they kept telling him that Kathie feared for her life and expressed that to them. It came off as a rather chauvinistic attitude toward what he perceived as typical "hysterical women". Obviously that in and of itself wouldn't have necessarily been an indicator of Bob's guilt because heaven knows Kathie could have used it to fake her own death, but these same women were the ones who discovered Bob disposing of all of Kathie's personal effects right after she disappeared. Hindsight is always 20/20 but maybe had the detective not been so quick to disregard her friends' efforts, perhaps he wouldn't have ignored that they found Bob doing something that would only be done by someone who knew Kathie was never coming back.

Edited March 17, 2015 by NumberCruncher

[Proclone]

Yes, and I'll add to this that the Westchester detective didn't score any points for disregarding Kathie's friends when they kept telling him that Kathie feared for her life and expressed that to them. It came off as a rather chauvinistic attitude toward what he perceived as typical "hysterical women". Obviously that in and of itself wouldn't have necessarily been an indicator of Bob's guilt because heaven knows Kathie could have used it to fake her own death, but these same women were the ones who discovered Bob disposing of all of Kathie's personal effects right after she disappeared. Hindsight is always 20/20 but maybe had the detective not been so quick to disregard her friends' efforts, perhaps he wouldn't have ignored that they found Bob doing something that would only be done by someone who knew Kathie was never coming back.

 

The thing that really made me loose my mind was when (I think) the former Detective from NYPD said the note that Bob had written that had the word shovel among other rather suspicious words probably didn't mean anything because if would have been too cold to bury the body.  Firstly I believe the word shovel had a question mark next to it, as in "Should I get a shove?"  Secondly, just because it was too cold to bury a body, doesn't mean he didn't try and lastly HE WROTE A NOTE LISTING WAYS TO DISPOSE OF A BODY!  Who cares if one of them isn't the most practical way?!

 

You're right, all the cops involved in the Kathie Durst case should be ashamed.  There is no doubt in my mind that they let the fact that Bob Durst was extremely wealthy sway them and that from the moment she was reported missing just assumed she had run off and wouldn't entertain any other possibilities after that and never really bothered to investigate, even though it really made no sense for her to disappear willingly.  Oddly enough this was even pointed out by Bob himself, when he said that she might have left him but she wouldn't have left medical school.

[planetofapes]

The problem with having so much money is that you can never really determine whether someone likes you for your money or for you. In a way, no one ever really loved Bob for Bob.

When Kathie was divorcing Bob I'm sure she wanted a good settlement. I mean, med school is not cheap. She may have married the health food store owner but she only really wanted Bob the millionaire. It wasn't about the money, he didn't care about that. It was the betrayal. She had to go.

Susan, the friend who stuck by him, the person who actually helped him get away with killing his first wife - Bob truly thought she was a rock. When they met she was a little rich girl too - they understood each other. But in time, she got stuck financially and so she turned the screws on Bob, she never really loved him, in the end she just loved his deep deep pockets. She had to go.

I truly pitied this man until the very end. Nothing in his face changed when Jarecki confronted him about the handwriting. This guy is truly Patrick Bateman. I half expected him to start playing Huey Lewis and chopping up Jarecki with an axe.

At the end I wondered why he more or less confessed to all this. Then I remembered, this is the same guy who got caught stealing an effing sandwich when he had over 30 grand in hard cold cash. He did it because he thought he could get away it - as he got away with everything else his whole life.

Seymour knew what he was doing when he handed the crown to Douglas. He must have died knowing his son was a killer. Good grief.

What a truly brilliant series. I am not a massive fan of true life crime but this was truly awesome.

[Proclone]

Does anyone else have a hard time feeling really bad for Susan Berman?  I'm not by any stretch saying she deserved to be killed, but assuming she did know something about Kathie's disappearance/death I can't really muster up the feelings of outrage that Bob Durst has gotten away with her murder that I do with Kathie's. I do wonder how much she knew.  Did she just help Bob cover somethings up that were slightly incriminating but didn't think he really did it or did she know he killed her and completely helped cover it up (which seems to be the case if she made the phone call to the medical school).  If it's the latter, I really have a hard time feeling bad that the snake turned around and bite her.  Also I think it was incredible stupid of her to blackmail Bob however obliquely (assuming that's what she did).  If she knew he killed his wife, what makes you think you're so special that he would never hurt you?

 

Oddly enough I'm more interested in her motivations then Bob's.  I think he's just crazy but why would she display such loyalty to him if she did know about Kathie's death?  Did he convince her it was an accident (much like he's excuse for the Morris Black killing) and that he needed to cover it up because the police wouldn't believe him.  Or was she just that money hungry and desired to be close to wealth and power that she was willing to not only to overlook that he was a murderer but actively help him get away with it?  Not that I'm holding my breath but I hope somehow we find out someday what she did and did not really know.

 

I also find her son really distasteful.  Assuming for a moment that he really sincerely believes that Bob had nothing to do with her death, a friend of your mom offers to help you pay for college after her tragic death and you pad the amount of money you need?  Classy.  And then to giggle about Bob being in jail for dismembering someone, like it was "That crazy Uncle Bobby and his wacky stunts again."  I don't know if the laughing was the result of being nervous, but it came off really bad to me.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Proclone

[redbudrose]

 

Does anyone else have a hard time feeling really bad for Susan Berman?

 

I had trouble finding her sympathetic as well. I don't believe she had it coming or deserved it but the way the series was set up she was characterized as being Bob's accomplice in a way. It was hard to separate that from her as a person with what was shown. I do think she called the medical school pretending to be Kathie and was planting the stories about the doorman seeing her so from the start she was obstructing justice, creating false evidence and there is no reason to do that if you don't know that your friend murdered his wife. 

 

I don't know much more about her relationship with Bob other than what was shown. Were they only best friends or was she in love with him?

[hendersonrocks]

This is a pretty interesting/meticulous analysis of the final episode, in terms of how it's presented and what inconsistencies exist when you really break it down to virtually a frame-by-frame perspective.

[missy jo]

I don't think "the confession" is necessary to a conviction. They can show motive and opportunity, and the handwriting will seal the deal.

[Clanstarling]

If the police don't have anything more than what we've seen on screen, it is nowhere near a slam dunk.  There are compelling alternate explanations that could be made. Jarecki started talking to the police in 2013. The length of time between that, and the arrest leads me to believe they dug deeper into the case and found something more. Susan's step-son had tons of stuff he hadn't looked through, there could well have been something. She was a writer, maybe she'd recorded information about Kathy somewhere. I'm as cynical as the next person, but I just can't believe they'd hold off so long to benefit  HBO and Jarecki.

 

I wonder about Bob's second wife. Somewhere (either in this forum, or in a news article) it was mentioned that they are separated. I wouldn't be surprised if, given they have the envelope with Bob's writing, they interviewed her (or was it re-interview - I am unclear as to whether the interview footage we saw was for the Texas murder, or the LA murder.) As I recall, there was speculation that he married her so she couldn't be compelled to testify against him. That doesn't mean she can't voluntarily testify against him. Especially now that they have a little extra leverage. If she knows anything, she could be threatened with being an accessory, couldn't she?

Edited March 18, 2015 by clanstarling

[editorgrrl]

Bob began dating Debrah Lee Charatan in 1988. He's now 71; she's 58. She's a real estate broker.

They moved in together in 1990, the year Bob divorced Kathie, but Bob eventually moved out. They've never lived together since.

They were secretly married in December 2000—shortly after Kathie's case was reopened.

She was in Florida when Bob was arrested, about to board a plane to Cuba—where Durst probably planned join her. (Direct flights just started from New Orleans to Cuba.)

Edited March 18, 2015 by editorgrrl

[ennui]

If Robert really does have a brain tumor, he may not know the truth of what happened. He might think he did it, when he didn't, which would explain the bathroom comment. Brain cancer has a way of distorting reality.

[missy jo]

I was really annoyed by the Buzzfeed article. It came off as very "Breaking news! Filmmaker makes film!" to me. It's like the author was indicting Jarecki for daring to edit footage, make cinematic choices, etc. Um ... that's his job.

[pennben]

I think this article most likely explains not only how they messed with the timeline, but why. 

[LoveLeigh]

 

missy jo says:

I don't think "the confession" is necessary to a conviction. They can show motive and opportunity, and the handwriting will seal the deal.

How does the handwriting seal the deal? All it proves is that Durst wrote both of the pieces: the cadaver note and the Berman letter. It does not prove the killer wrote the note, it just proves Durst did. Durst's lawyer can say Durst was just "the messenger." He sent the note after the real killer told him the job was done. 

 

And as far as Durst saying the killer wrote the cadaver letter, he can say he was just using context clues to draw that conclusion. 

 

And the confession is worthless because it is open to huge interpretation. "killed them all" can mean he was voicing out loud what he thought THEY were thinking. 

[Lola43]

Susan, the friend who stuck by him, the person who actually helped him get away with killing his first wife - Bob truly thought she was a rock. When they met she was a little rich girl too - they understood each other. But in time, she got stuck financially and so she turned the screws on Bob, she never really loved him, in the end she just loved his deep deep pockets. She had to go.

i think Susan Berman was in love with him. The fact that was wealthy didn't hurt.

[Padma]

 He seems like an arrogant sociopath who would always have a backup plan (to lying). Now the LAPD have put him in a mental hospital, I can't help wondering if his plan is "faking it".

[editorgrrl]

He seems like an arrogant sociopath who would always have a backup plan (to lying). Now the LAPD have put him in a mental hospital, I can't help wondering if his plan is "faking it".

 

Robert Durst was moved from a New Orleans jail to a Louisiana state prison with a mental health unit because he's considered a suicide risk. It's not clear when he might be extradited to California.

 

Edited to add that his second wife, Debrah Lee Charatan, reportedly persuaded Durst not to use a psychiatric defense in his trial for killing Morris Black—for fear she might lose her power of attorney if he was declared incompetent.

Edited March 18, 2015 by editorgrrl

[MamaMax]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/18/robert-durst-the-jinx-second-wife-debrah-lee-charatan

 

According to this article, he divorced Kathie in the 90's.

 

But there are others that say he did not divorce her. Hmm.

Edited March 18, 2015 by MamaMax

[Mannahatta]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-durst-may-be-investigated-disappearance-two-teenage-girls-california/

 

According to a CBS news report from this morning - investigators are looking into Durst's possible connection to the 1997 disappearances of Karen Mitchell and Kristen Modafferi.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Mannahatta

[FuriousStyles]

About the note....couldnt the prosecutors say that based on the day the note was postmarked that only the killer would know when Berman was killed.

Did Durst ever admit to being in California? Now all of a sudden not only is he in California but that he actually did go to Berman's house, but oh no he definitely didnt kill her. He only saw her body and was nice enough to send the cops a note. I would love to see a defense attorney argue that with a straight face.

[NumberCruncher]

About the note....couldnt the prosecutors say that based on the day the note was postmarked that only the killer would know when Berman was killed.

Did Durst ever admit to being in California? Now all of a sudden not only is he in California but that he actually did go to Berman's house, but oh no he definitely didnt kill her. He only saw her body and was nice enough to send the cops a note. I would love to see a defense attorney argue that with a straight face.

He admitted he was in Northern California around the time of the Berman murder and there are eyewitnesses to his presence (e.g. the guy who drove Durst from the airport to pick up his car). What the police could never prove was that he made the trip from Northern CA to L.A. to commit the murder. That's why the cadaver postcard is so crucial--it establishes that Durst was in L.A., knew Berman was dead, and tipped off the police. The defense can always use the excuse that Durst merely stumbled onto Berman's corpse and didn't want to get involved because of his suspicious past, but they're going to have a hard time explaining why Berman suddenly turned up dead just as the NYC DA's office was going to interview her since it was widely known that Berman lied on his behalf and misled the press back in '82 when Kathie disappeared.

Edited March 19, 2015 by NumberCruncher

[pasdetrois]

 

Robert Durst was moved from a New Orleans jail to a Louisiana state prison with a mental health unit because he's considered a suicide risk.

If he's in Angola, that comes with its own punishments, although it's not the hellish place it once was. (Family member worked there.)

 

I wonder if his attorneys can try to manipulate the trial process by claiming the documentary will make it difficult to select an impartial jury.

[myname2use4now]

During the phone calls we heard with his wife, if he pleads insanity, he's found incompetent and will loose control of his trust fund money. But for this new arrest, pleading insanity could very well save his life. Has Durst finally come to a "your money or your life" moment? One thing's for sure, this trial will get a lot of attention.

[starri]

I wonder if his attorneys can try to manipulate the trial process by claiming the documentary will make it difficult to select an impartial jury.

They can certainly try, but given that the LA courts managed to find not one but two impartial juries for OJ's criminal and civil trials, I don't think they'd get very far.

[MamaMax]

He admitted he was in Northern California around the time of the Berman murder and there are eyewitnesses to his presence (e.g. the guy who drove Durst from the airport to pick up his car). What the police could never prove was that he made the trip from Northern CA to L.A. to commit the murder. That's why the cadaver postcard is so crucial--it establishes that Durst was in L.A., knew Berman was dead, and tipped off the police. The defense can always use the excuse that Durst merely stumbled onto Berman's corpse and didn't want to get involved because of his suspicious past, but they're going to have a hard time explaining why Berman suddenly turned up dead just as the NYC DA's office was going to interview her since it was widely known that Berman lied on his behalf and misled the press back in '82 when Kathie disappeared.

I would think they would also have a hard time explaining why, if Bobby just wanted to pop in and say hi to Susan, he flew into an airport 600 miles away and then drove 11 hours there and back.  

[biakbiak]

i think Susan Berman was in love with him. The fact that was wealthy didn't hurt.

 

I don't even know that she was in love with him even if she helped him by calling the school to say Kathie wasn't coming in isn't a fact that can be proven, given lack of audio tapes it could have just been Bob disguising his voice. She could have just needed a story to tell since the "mob princess" fairytale stopped long ago.

 

I know there is evidence that he sent her 50-70 grand shortly before her death but I am curious what if any relationship they had from Kathie's disappearance to her murder. The stepson who took at least 100 grand from him didn't imply there was a long standing relationship between the two of them and his sister didn't seem to imply any relationship. She might have spoken about him to her friends but that is what is curious is they no one (not even Jarecki) has ever established an ongoing close friendship after Kathie's disappearance.

 

It's also why I doubt Seymour or Doug no shit about Kathie's disappearance or helped him in covering it up. Did Seymour stop paying the PI when he showed his son was a lying lie who lies? Yes, but he seemed so distanced from the family at the time of her death I don't think they actively covered shit up. This is not to say that I don't think Doug and Seymour didn't believe he killed Kathie, I just think he was so estranged that other than hiring the PI they don't know anything.

[katiepotatey]

One part of Robert's reaction to the envelopes that stuck with me was when he raised his arms up and made two fists, then realized what he was doing and put them back down. It almost seemed like he wanted to fight Jarecki but not in front of the cameras, but it was almost an involuntary reaction, like he was surprised that his arms were up.

[Darian]

 

When police closed in to arrest Robert Durst on a murder charge in New Orleans over the weekend, they say they found a full-face latex mask, more than $42,000 in cash, mostly in hundreds, enough pot for about 300 joints, a fake ID, a real passport and a .38 special revolver with four live rounds.

Link to ABCNews story.  He also had withdrawn $315, 000 in a month. This guy.  

[Missbusy2000]

One part of Robert's reaction to the envelopes that stuck with me was when he raised his arms up and made two fists, then realized what he was doing and put them back down. It almost seemed like he wanted to fight Jarecki but not in front of the cameras, but it was almost an involuntary reaction, like he was surprised that his arms were up.

 

I found this really interesting too, including the burping which he berated  himself about while in the washroom with the hot mic. 

 

This man is constantly acting. I'm an actor and I'm often practicing things around the house, when I'm alone, sometimes I catch myself on the bus mumbling lines for pieces I'm working on and thinking about how I'd say them or how my character would. I bet my bottom dollar that's what he was doing the first time he was caught with a hot mic "did I tell the WHOLE truth?" bit. He was coaching himself, which I think he prides himself on. For example, he said that his lawyers thought he wouldn't be able to get through or perform well during the cross examination for Morris Black's dismemberment. And did he prove them wrong! It could also be one of the reasons he wanted to be in this documentary and enjoys different disguises. He is constantly acting, not just lying but dropping into characters. His innocent man who can win people over is one of them. And the real Bob Durst is a cold killer who has no regard for others, pees in people's waste baskets and is constantly speaking to himself. 

 

I think people who believe rationality was what motivated him to do these killings and that he is only responsible for the three murders are under his spell. Did he have motive to kill these individuals? Yes, but there is a level of enjoyment he experienced aswell. Getting drunk and stoned to chop up a body? Perhaps not a numbing action but to enhance the experience and get even more fun out of it.

 

Doug Durst said his brother hurts others and lies about it because he is incapable of feeling emotions that others do vicariously and he gets off on the thrill. I know Doug hasn't been the most reliable or trustworthy person when it comes to Robert but I do feel he has insight that we don't understand and that most people who have had a glimpse into that insight have wound up dead. He's made it out alive and that's the statement he chose (the only statement really) to share with the public. This guy is a psychopath and there are probably more bodies out there. He can't help himself just as he can't help himself to stop lying. 

[editorgrrl]

If he's in Angola, that comes with its own punishments, although it's not the hellish place it once was. (Family member worked there.)

 

According to CNN, Robert Durst is being held in the mental health unit at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, about an hour's drive from New Orleans.

Durst's lawyer Dick DeGuerin said he "did not believe" his client was mentally ill, and that he should remain in Orleans Parish to give the legal team better access to him before a evidentiary hearing scheduled for Monday.

 

DeGuerin has said it's no coincidence authorities arrested Durst the day before the HBO documentary's final episode aired. He said he wasn't surprised about the search of his Texas condo, either.

 

"They're acting like a bunch of Keystone Kops, particularly after being embarrassed by the TV program," he said. "And I'll be even more surprised if they find anything of any evidentiary value whatsoever."

[Missbusy2000]

"They're acting like a bunch of Keystone Kops, particularly after being embarrassed by the TV program," he said. "And I'll be even more surprised if they find anything of any evidentiary value whatsoever."

 

I honestly don't blame Jarecki for holding on to the evidence and that being why Robert Durst has walked free for the past few years. The police have shown such a mishandling of this whole thing, I think that their complete embarrassment at this documentary will end up being the only thing that motivates them to properly band together with the FBI and get this guy behind bars. 

Edited March 19, 2015 by Missbusy2000

[blixie]

Bob doesn't seem to go anywhere w/o his weed. Heh.

 

Does anyone have a link to a mention in the main thread about Debrah about to board to a plane to Cuba, when news of his arrest came down, and that he was going to meet her? I can not figure that lady out, they are estranged but rendezvousing in Cuba? I mean I know so money such wow, I guess for some people there is never too much money.

[editorgrrl]

Durst’s wife is the ‘mastermind’ behind couple

Robert Durst’s wife is “the mastermind’’ behind the oddball couple — controlling his real estate fortune and allegedly arranging for him to fly to Cuba amid a damning HBO documentary, sources told The [New York] Post.

 

Cutthroat Manhattan Realtor Debra Charatan “knew things were going to blow up before he was arrested’’ Saturday in New Orleans for the 2000 murder of pal Susan Berman, a source said. “She knew stuff was coming down.”

 

“She’d been to Cuba a couple of months ago” for a Jewish charity organization, the source noted.

 

“She’s very, very smart,” the source added of Charatan, who handles Durst’s fortune, estimated at $65 million in 2006.

 

“Any time he’s in trouble, she’s leaving and going to these places. She’s extremely cunning. People call her a shark.”

[MamaMax]

 

It's also why I doubt Seymour or Doug no shit about Kathie's disappearance or helped him in covering it up. Did Seymour stop paying the PI when he showed his son was a lying lie who lies? Yes, but he seemed so distanced from the family at the time of her death I don't think they actively covered shit up. This is not to say that I don't think Doug and Seymour didn't believe he killed Kathie, I just think he was so estranged that other than hiring the PI they don't know anything.

I think they would absolutely cover for him. Their pockets are so incredibly deep that ANYONE done wrong by a member of that family is going to find a way to sue the whole lot of them.  

All they need is a hint that the family knew he was dangerous, that he hit Kathie, that he threatened ANYONE, and there it is: they all should have known, should have  done something, etc.

[myname2use4now]

I found this really interesting too, including the burping which he berated  himself about while in the washroom with the hot mic. 

 

This man is constantly acting. I'm an actor and I'm often practicing things around the house, when I'm alone, sometimes I catch myself on the bus mumbling lines for pieces I'm working on and thinking about how I'd say them or how my character would. I bet my bottom dollar that's what he was doing the first time he was caught with a hot mic "did I tell the WHOLE truth?" bit. He was coaching himself, which I think he prides himself on. For example, he said that his lawyers thought he wouldn't be able to get through or perform well during the cross examination for Morris Black's dismemberment. And did he prove them wrong! It could also be one of the reasons he wanted to be in this documentary and enjoys different disguises. He is constantly acting, not just lying but dropping into characters. His innocent man who can win people over is one of them. And the real Bob Durst is a cold killer who has no regard for others, pees in people's waste baskets and is constantly speaking to himself. 

 

*snip

Thanks for your perspective as an actor. When I was listening to the hot mic, I thought it sounded like there were a couple of different personalities inside one man, hashing it out. I also think that the way he refers to himself in the third person is indicative of this as well. I wonder if he has multiple personality disorder but just when I wonder if he's mentally ill, I realize he seems to do an awful lot of very logical, sane things to keep himself free. However, I would not put talking to Jarecki in the same category as logical and sane.

[Morbs]

For the love of God, someone please get Debra Charatan onto the cast of NYC Housewives.

[biakbiak]

I think they would absolutely cover for him. Their pockets are so incredibly deep that ANYONE done wrong by a member of that family is going to find a way to sue the whole lot of them.  

All they need is a hint that the family knew he was dangerous, that he hit Kathie, that he threatened ANYONE, and there it is: they all should have known, should have  done something, etc.

He was an adult no one could get a judgement against the family or their holdings at the time Kathie disappeared. He was drawing a salary and his family might have bailed him out but they would not be liable for a civil suit.  None of the shit was owed to him at the time she left. They only bought hm out of the family once Seymour died.

[missy jo]

How does the handwriting seal the deal? All it proves is that Durst wrote both of the pieces: the cadaver note and the Berman letter. It does not prove the killer wrote the note, it just proves Durst did.

 

 

It's "possible," in the sense that anything is possible, but it defies common sense.

[Mindymoo]

Well, there was the admission from a prior episode where Durst said how risky it was to send such a note, because it's a note that only the killer could have written. So when he's been proven to have written both letters, along with that statement and everything else we know, isn't that pretty damning?

[panthergirl13]

Well, there was the admission from a prior episode where Durst said how risky it was to send such a note, because it's a note that only the killer could have written. So when he's been proven to have written both letters, along with that statement and everything else we know, isn't that pretty damning?

Thanks for saving me the typing.

Frankly, I'm pretty shocked that the NYPD detective agreed to be interviewed for the Dateline piece (is there another thread for that? I should go look). That guy could be responsible for several other deaths because of his shoddy police work. I'm surprised he'd show his face, especially in anything connected to the Kathie Durst case.