Robert Durst Confesses to Three Murders in ‘The Jinx’ Finale
Robert Durst, subject of HBO documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, was arrested on Saturday (March 14). The arrest happened just one day before the final episode of the six-part series aired on March 15. And, boy, was that finale a whopper!
In the shows terrifying final moments, Durst, confronted with never-before-seen but irrefutable evidence of his guilt in the murder of three people, retreats to the bathroom where his still-live mic picks up his haunting confession. He's heard muttering to himself: "There it is. You're caught. You're right, of course. But you can't imagine. Arrest him. I don't know what's in the house. Oh, I want this. 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."
The New York Times reports that Durst, the estranged son of a New York real estate mogul, was monitored by law enforcement officials in three different states before he was taken into custody on Saturday for the 2000 murder of mob writer Susan Berman. Berman died shortly before she was to talk to police about the 1982 disappearance of Durst's first wife, Kathy.
After Berman, thought to be Durst's confidante, was found shot execution-style in her home in 2000, the eccentric millionaire fled to Texas where he posed as a mute woman and was eventually tried for the shooting death and dismemberment of his neighbor, Morris Black, in 2001. Durst was acquitted in the Texas case and until this weekend had never been charged in connection with his wife's disappearance or Berman's death.
According to the New York Times, Durst's lawyers say he will plead not guilty.
The 71-year-old man's arrest is thought to be linked to the evidence presented by The Jinx. Los Angeles prosecutors re-opened Berman's murder case after Durst agreed to be interviewed for The Jinx.
“We simply cannot say enough about the brilliant job that Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling did in producing The Jinx,” HBO said in a statement (via Just Jared). “Years in the making, their thorough research and dogged reporting reignited interest in Robert Durst’s story with the public and law enforcement.”
The New York Times reports that Robert Durst's brother Douglas also gave a statement on Sunday, saying, “We are relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst. We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done.”