Durst Things First: Murder, Lies, and Candy Aisles

on

Durst Things First: Murder, Lies, and Candy Aisles

The complete story behind the bizarre and bone-chilling life of Robert Durst—covered in our two-part Crime Clueless episode: “Durst Things First: Murder, Lies, and Candy Aisles.”

What do you get when you cross a New York real estate empire, a dismembered body in Texas, a loyal best friend with mob family history, a wife who vanishes without a trace, a cadaver note with a spelling error, and a bathroom confession caught on a hot mic?

You get Robert Durst. And this is his story.

In the annals of true crime, few cases are as absurd, sprawling, and darkly fascinating as the life and crimes of Durst—who somehow managed to skate through decades of suspicion, murder investigations, and literal body parts floating in the bay before the law finally caught up.

This is the complete breakdown of one of the most jaw-dropping stories we’ve ever covered on Crime Clueless.

A Body in the Bay

In 2001, five garbage bags washed up in Galveston Bay. Inside? Dismembered human remains: arms, legs, torso. The victim was identified as Morris Black, a grumpy old loner who lived in a run-down fourplex building.

Police zeroed in on his quiet, reclusive neighbor—a mute elderly woman named “Dorothy Ciner.”

Only she didn’t exist.

Dorothy was actually Robert Durst, heir to a billion-dollar real estate fortune, living incognito in Texas. In drag. Pretending not to speak. It sounds like a Coen Brothers movie, but it was real life. And it was about to unravel.

When cops searched Durst’s apartment, they found blood evidence and signs of a cleanup. But Durst had vanished. He was eventually arrested… for shoplifting a chicken salad sandwich while carrying $500 in his pocket and $37,000 in his car. You know. Totally normal fugitive behavior.

The Dismemberment Defense

In court, Durst did something few suspected murderers have ever done: he admitted to cutting up Morris Black’s body. Not accidentally. Not vaguely. Like, detailed play-by-play with a bow saw, plastic tarps, and multiple garbage bags.

His defense? Self-defense and panic. He claimed Morris accidentally shot himself during a struggle over a gun, and Durst, terrified no one would believe him, decided the best way to handle the situation was... to dismember the body and toss it in the bay.

Shockingly, the jury believed him—at least enough to acquit him of murder.

Yes. He admitted to dismembering a man and walked free (mostly).

Rewind: The Missing Wife

Before Morris Black, before Galveston, before “Dorothy,” there was Kathleen Durst, Robert’s wife.

Kathie vanished in 1982 after a disturbing phone call from Robert interrupted her dinner party. She left abruptly and was never seen again.

Durst said he dropped her at the train station and later spoke to her by phone. But, it was revealed that none of that was true. There’s no proof Kathie ever made it to Manhattan. Her friends found her belongings tossed in the trash at their home. And Durst’s longtime friend Susan Berman may have even impersonated Kathie to cover for him with police and her school.

Kathie’s family, especially her brother Jim, never stopped pushing. They always believed Robert killed her—and they were right to be suspicious.

But with no body and a mountain of Durst’s lies, the case went cold.

Enter: Susan Berman

Susan Berman wasn’t just Durst’s best friend—she was the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, a fiercely loyal confidante, and possibly the one person who knew exactly what happened to Kathie.

In 2000, as the cold case reopened, Susan told friends the LAPD wanted to talk to her. She was nervous. Days later, on Christmas Eve, she was found shot execution-style in her home.

No forced entry. No sign of a robbery. She likely let her killer in. And a note mailed anonymously to the police simply said: “CADAVER. 1527 Benedict Canyon.” Beverly Hills was spelled wrong. “Beverley.”

That note would come back to haunt Durst. But not yet.

Smile for the Camera, Bob

Most accused murderers avoid the limelight. Not Robert Durst. After watching All Good Things—a Ryan Gosling-led movie inspired by his life—Durst didn’t sue or lay low. He called up director Andrew Jarecki and said, “Let’s do something together.”

Yep. He wanted to tell his story.

That strange phone call kicked off what would become HBO’s now-iconic documentary series, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. And oh boy… did it ever live up to the name.

The Cadaver Note and the Curse of the Extra 'E'

During filming, Jarecki and his team made a discovery that would crack the case wide open: two letters. One was a note sent anonymously to Beverly Hills police back in 2000 alerting them to a “CADAVER” at Susan Berman’s address (you know, after she’d been shot execution-style). The other was a personal letter from Durst to Susan years earlier.

Same blocky handwriting. Same odd spelling mistake: “Beverley Hills” with an extra 'e'. What are the odds?

They showed both letters to Durst on camera. He froze. He burped. He stammered. Then, he disappeared to the bathroom—with his mic still on.

What came next is legendary. 

“What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”

Yes. He accidentally confessed in a bathroom, talking to himself, after being confronted with a handwriting comparison. If it weren’t so tragic, it would be a comedy sketch.

Chills. Literal chills. The moment that launched a thousand Reddit threads and finally gave prosecutors the ammo they needed.

The Trial We Thought Would Never Happen

Durst was arrested in 2015, the day before The Jinx finale aired. It took six more years (and one global pandemic) before his long-delayed trial for Susan Berman’s murder finally began in Los Angeles.

Durst was wheeled into the courtroom looking like an extra from a hospital drama—frail, masked, and grumbling. But what he lacked in stamina, he made up for in ridiculous testimony.

At one point, he claimed he used to play Frisbee and Uno with his mom… who died when he was seven… in 1950. (Spoiler: Frisbee and Uno didn’t exist yet.)

And in a moment that should be studied in law schools under What Not to Say Under Oath, Durst told the prosecutor:

“If I had killed her, I would lie about it.”

Which is… exactly what you don’t want a murder defendant to say to a jury.

The jury took just hours to convict him of first-degree murder.

Finally, Kathie Gets Her Day

Just weeks later, New York authorities did what they should have done 40 years earlier: they charged Durst with the murder of Kathleen McCormack Durst.

It was too late for trial. Durst died of cardiac arrest in January 2022. But the indictment meant something. It meant the system had finally caught up. That the families who never stopped fighting were heard.

Legacy of a Liar

Robert Durst left behind no shortage of victims—Kathie, Susan, Morris—and a legacy that proves money can delay justice, but it can’t erase it.

He lied to police. Lied to the media. Lied under oath. And in the end, lied to himself, thinking he could control the narrative forever.

But a misspelled word, a hot mic, and decades of truth-tellers brought him down.

Why It Still Matters

This isn’t just the story of one man. It’s the story of a justice system that looked away for decades, of victims’ families who refused to be silent, and of how ego—and a typo—can finally bring someone down.

The Jinx Part Two dives even deeper into the aftermath, the enablers, and the untold stories around Durst’s crimes.

Listen Now

If this story blew your mind, go listen to Part 1 & Part 2 of Durst Things First: Murder, Lies, and Candy Aisles, available now!

We break it all down with court testimony, media quotes, document deep dives, sarcasm, and absolutely no patience for murderers with superiority complexes.

Got theories? Favorite absurd Durst moment? Tag us @CrimeClueless or send us your unhinged (but respectful) takes. We’ll feature our favorites in an upcoming listener episode.

And remember: if a millionaire moves in next door wearing wigs and buying bone saws… maybe… don’t ignore the red flags.


Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media, share your thoughts, and let us know what you’d like to hear about in future episodes. If you have any true crime stories of your own, send them our way crimeclueless@gmail.com to be featured on a future episode!  And as always, remember: refuse to be clueless, careless, or caught off guard. Not today, murderers.

See you in the next episode of Crime Clueless!



Resources:

 Documentaries & Dramatizations

  • The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (HBO, 2015)
    The groundbreaking six-part documentary that reignited public interest—and led to Durst's arrest.

  • The Jinx: Part Two (HBO, 2024)
    The sequel series covering Durst’s trial, conviction, and new revelations from investigators and family members.

  •  All Good Things (2010)
    A dramatized film based on Durst's life, starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. Directed by Andrew Jarecki.

News & Investigative Journalism

Court Filings & Legal Coverage

Books & Firsthand Accounts

Expert Analysis & Commentary

Witnesses, Family & Friends (Interview Sources)

Letters, Notes & Courtroom Evidence


 

Comments

Post a Comment