Robert Durst: The millionaire serial killer discovered by an HBO microphone

Born in Scarsdale, New York; United States on April 12, 1943.

Dies in Stockton, California; United States on January 10, 2022 (San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp, United States)

Spouse: Debrah Lee Charatan (2000–2022), Kathleen McCormack (1973–1982)

Robert Durst was an American businessman who was the son of the founder of the real estate company National Debt Clock, Seymour Durst. He rose to fame in the 1980s when his wife disappeared.

He pleads guilty on his own show

This millionaire man was caught by the police a day later after appearing in the last chapter of the HBO documentary series The Jinx, a series based on his person. Asking for a moment to go to the bathroom, he answered for himself the questions asked a few minutes ago in reference to the murders of which they had been accused since 1980. "Of course, I have killed them all" Durst had not remembered the microphone kept in his vest for the show's documentary. That was how the directors called the authorities for him to be arrested.

Robert Durst was charged with the murder of his first wife, just weeks after being jailed for life for murdering his friend in California. On December 24, 2000, Susan Berman, a longtime friend of Robert Durst's, who was rumored to know the identity of Kathleen's killer, was found in her apartment in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. First-degree murder culminated in Durst's arrest, though he was acquitted later that year.

The millionaire real estate heir was indicted by a grand jury in Westchester, New York, for killing Kathie Durst, who disappeared in January 1982.

That trial heard that Berman was killed because she had helped provide Durst with an alibi for the night Kathie Durst disappeared and that he had wanted to silence her.

“When Kathleen Durst disappeared on January 31, 1982, her family and friends were left with pain, anguish and questions that have contributed to her tireless pursuit of justice for the past 39 years,” said Westchester County District Attorney, Miriam Rocah.

"The District Attorney's Office reinvigorated its investigation into Robert Durst just 10 months ago when I took office, opened the Cold Case Office, and dedicated the resources and skill I thought this case deserved."

“Thanks to the incredible hard work of our Assistant District Attorneys, the District Attorney's Criminal Investigators and the New York State Police, we have taken a major step forward in seeking justice for Kathie Durst, her family and the victims of violence. domestic everywhere".

The grand jury of the Westchester County courthouse, north of New York City, heard evidence for two weeks and charged Durst with second-degree murder.

Of all the people linked to Durst, perhaps the most famous is undoubtedly Kathleen McCormack, his first wife. The serial killer is accused of killing McCormack, but the case has never been solved. Despite the mysterious fate, it seems that Durst had no problem remarrying, as he did in 2000 with Debrah Lee Charatan. In light of Durst's death, here's a look at his wives and their lives to date.

The mysterious Kathleen McCormack

Durst reported his wife missing, saying he put her on a Manhattan-bound train that night from his home in South Salem, just north of New York City.

Before disappearing on December 31, 1982, 'Kathie' was a 29-year-old in her final months of medical school and close to being a pediatrician, as well as being in a broken marriage with Durst. His efforts to "control" her reportedly led to repeated fights and violence.

She graduated from school on Long Island and later trained as a dental hygienist. The two met after Kathie moved into a building owned by the Durst family, leading to an "instant attraction" when she was just 19 years old.

Then in 1982, Kathie mysteriously disappeared without a trace, with Durst claiming she ran off with a drug dealer. She was officially declared dead in 2017, but a body was never found. Kathie's fate remains a great mystery, and it seems like a secret that Durst has taken to his grave.

Durst's second marriage

Despite the publicity surrounding Kathie's disappearance, it appears that Durst managed to charm another woman: Debrah Charatan. They first met in the 1980s, after Kathie disappeared, but only married in a very secret ceremony in December 2000. Another New York native, Charatan, is a real estate agent who runs BCB Property Management. with her son from another marriage. Starting out as a secretary, Charatan made a name for herself with her first company, Bach Realty, and went on to be highly featured in the press.

In 2000, she married Robert Durst, a man whose first wife had mysteriously disappeared nearly two decades earlier. Twelve days after the wedding, Durst's longtime friend, Susan Berman, was found shot in the back of the head, execution-style, in her home.

Despite his problems, Charatan stuck with Durst through thick and thin. She remained his confidant during the time she disguised herself as an old woman and lived in a dilapidated building in Galveston, Texas. He even supported Durst during his 2003 trial for killing and dismembering his neighbor, Morris Black.

Durst and Charatan have always had a relationship full of question marks. During an interview with police, she was unable to account for his whereabouts during their first Christmas together, the same time period when Susan Berman was murdered.

During a statement after Black's murder, Charatan did not remember the date of their anniversary.

While she supported Durst during his 2003 trial, it seems things haven't been so good between the two of late. The Sun reported that the couple stopped speaking in 2015 after the documentary about him aired. A friend told CNN that Charatan didn't want Durst to be in the HBO documentary series The Jinx.

She has kept quite a distance from him and his legal problems ever since. But, it seems that Charatan is no stranger to scandal. She reportedly lived with attorney Steve Holm, whom she called her husband and "soul mate" while married to Durst.

The revelation led to accusations that Durst and Charatan only married for "convenience" as he needed someone to handle his finances and carry on his affairs if he ever got caught. Attorney Robert Abrams, who is representing Kathie, wrote in a March 2020 letter to the Manhattan prosecutor, "Their marriage was part of a plan" and said they only asserted spousal privileges when "dealing with the police." Charatan later denied ever being married to Holm, who died in 2019.

Even if Charatan's relationship with Durst was now platonic, she still manages much of his considerable estate and wealth. As recently as 2014, he handled the sale of a property that Durst owned with his three brothers.

On paper, Charatan and Durst are still married, a fact that gives him privileges as a spouse. She cannot be forced to testify against her husband.