Robert Durst: Murder Trial Set, Old Evidence Allowed, New Insights Revealed

LOS ANGELES, CA — The trial of high-profile New York real estate heir Robert Durst for the 2000 murder of Susan Berman has been set to begin in Los Angeles on September 3.

Durst, 75, is accused of fatally shooting Berman, his closest friend, to keep her from revealing what she knew about the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst.

Robert Durst has always denied any involvement with Kathleen’s vanishing. She is now long presumed dead.

The hugely controversial Durst has actually been tried for murder before, specifically for the 2001 killing and dismembering his neighbor Morris Black in Texas. Durst, who is estimated to be worth $100 million, got acquitted in that case after his lawyers successfully argued he acted in self-defense.

That trial may come back to haunt Durst this time, though.

In court this week, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham ruled that prosecuting attorneys will be permitted to use evidence from the Morris Black case against Durst in the upcoming proceedings. Windham said he made the decision because the “events seem to be intertwined.”

At the hearing, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin turned to Durst and said, “That man beat a murder in Galveston. He got away with it.... He’s not going to get away a second time.”

When Judge Windham asked Durst if the upcoming court date would work for him, the infamous suspect responded, “Yeah. September 3 is fine for a trial.”

Born into one of Manhattan’s most powerful real estate dynasties, Robert Durst never seemed likely to take over the family business, but few could have predicted that he would emerge as one of contemporary culture’s most high-profile suspected serial killers.

Durst became a household name after HBO aired the documentary series, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which examined his role in the vanishing of his wife and the killings of Black and Berman.

The show’s finale concluded with Durst unwittingly speaking into a live microphone, saying: “You’re caught! What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”

Just hours before the final episode of The Jinx aired in March 2015, police arrested Durst for the murder of Susan Berman. He has remained in custody — and continuously making headlines — ever since.

The new two-part special, Robert Durst: An ID Murder Mystery, picks up where all previous coverage has left off. The limited series delves deeper than ever into this endlessly fascinating case, even as it continues to play out before our eyes.

Among the program’s highlights are all new and exclusive interviews with Kathleen Durst’s brother and sister-in-law, as well as her friends Ruth Mayer and Ellen Strauss.

In addition, the ID Murder Mystery also showcases exclusive talks with Dick DeGuerin, Robert Durst’s defense attorney; and Susan Criss, the former judge who presided over Durst’s 2003 Texas trial.

Among the on-camera experts who share fresh insights and new takes on the case are legal analyst Beth Karas, true crime journalist Diane Dimond, crime reporter Jane Velez-Mitchell, and New York Times reporter Charles Bagli. What they say will surprise and even shock you — and keep you wondering what will happen next!

Robert Durst: An ID Murder Mystery premieres Monday, January 21 at 9/8c and the second part on Tuesday, January 22 at 9/8c, only on Investigation Discovery!

Read more: AP, Los Angeles Times, KXAN