'The Jinx': Inside Robert Durst’s Arrest and That Shocking Finale

You know how they say “truth is stranger than fiction”? That may be why HBO’s true-crime documentary The Jinx has been so much more compelling than fictional TV murder mysteries like Secrets and Lies and Gracepoint. No one could dream up a more colorfully bizarre lead character than Robert Durst… and no one could pen a more appropriate ending than the one The Jinx is getting right now.

Durst — the eldest son of a billion-dollar real estate dynasty who’s been connected to at least three murders — was arrested Saturday in New Orleans in connection with the death of his friend Susan Berman, who was found murdered in her L.A. home back in 2000. And LAPD authorities actually credit HBO’s documentary, and the new facts it has uncovered, with being key to their investigation.

For the past five weeks, The Jinx and filmmaker Andrew Jarecki have dug deep into Durst’s strange life (and even stranger mind) with the help of an extensive, no-holds-barred interview with Durst conducted by Jarecki. You might question the logic of an accused murderer consenting to an on-camera interview about his alleged crimes… but then again, hardly anything Durst has done could be considered “logical.”

Devoid of any recognizable human emotion and shockingly blunt about his silver-spoon upbringing and his possible involvement in three deaths, Durst comes off like a cross between Robert Blake and Count Dracula. (Vulture termed The Jinx “a real-life Interview With the Vampire.”) You get the sense that Durst has gotten away with absolutely everything his entire life, so he feels bulletproof enough to say whatever’s on his mind. He’s smart enough to avoid admitting guilt outright, but at times, he seems to be even taunting Jarecki and the authorities: Maybe I did do it… but you’ll never prove it.

Durst was first embroiled in a murder investigation when his first wife, Kathie Durst, went missing in 1982. He denied any involvement, and even though his story about the days surrounding her disappearance changed several times, he was never charged. Prosecutors were interested in questioning Durst’s friend Susan Berman, who they believed might have more information about Kathie’s disappearance. But Berman was murdered before she could testify. Durst was questioned in that case as well (he admits he was in California around the time of Berman’s death), but again, he was never formally charged.

Then there’s the case of Morris Black: the elderly man who lived next to Durst in Galveston, Texas, and was found murdered. (Actually, his dismembered body parts were found floating in Galveston Bay.) Durst was arrested but posted bail and fled, leading to a nationwide manhunt. He was eventually caught shoplifting a sandwich from a supermarket (when he had $37,000 in cash on him, mind you) and put on trial for murder. Durst admitted to killing Black, but claimed it was self-defense and hired a pair of high-priced defense attorneys; he was eventually acquitted.

So at the very least, bad luck seems to follow Robert Durst around… and his wealthy New York family now wants nothing to do with him. Robert is the eldest son of real estate mogul Seymour Durst; the family’s Durst Organization is one of the most prominent real-estate developers in New York City. (They even won a bid to develop the new One World Trade Center building.) Normally, Robert would be in line to run the billion-dollar family business after Seymour’s death, but his erratic behavior led to his younger brother Douglas being named Seymour’s successor instead. Jarecki has tried to interview Douglas for The Jinx, but he has consistently declined to participate in the documentary.

Even though Robert Durst was cut out of his family’s business affairs, he’s still ridiculously wealthy: The New York Times reports he got a $65 million payout from the family trust in 2006. And despite a few brief stints in prison, he’s managed to walk away from all of these messes relatively scot-free. Well, until this weekend, that is.

The LAPD hasn’t confirmed this, but Durst’s arrest may be tied to a stunning revelation in last week’s episode. When Berman was murdered, police received an anonymous note informing them there was a “cadaver” at her address. (Even Durst admitted “only the killer could’ve written” that note.) Last week, Berman’s stepson Sareb uncovered a letter to her from Durst — written in the exact same handwriting as the “cadaver” note. (It even shared the same misspelling of “Beverly,” with an extra E.)

Tonight’s season finale felt like a long-awaited day of reckoning, with Jarecki taking the two letters to a forensic document expert and confirming that the handwriting on both is “consistent with one person, and only one person.” After several delays and cancellations, Jarecki finally got Durst to sit down for another interview and confronted him with the evidence. Durst conceded that the handwriting looked “very similar,” but again denied writing the “cadaver” note. A dead end, right?

Well, maybe not — because following the interview, Durst went to the bathroom and didn’t realize his microphone was still on (the second time The Jinx has caught him saying things he didn’t realize were being recorded). Durst could be heard muttering to himself: “There it is. You’re caught… What a disaster… What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” It’s a jaw-dropping admission, and one that may end up sealing Durst’s fate.

So could Durst’s involvement with The Jinx ultimately cost him his freedom? It seems the fascinatingly twisted saga of Robert Durst will continue long after this documentary ends. You just can’t make this stuff up.