1 00:00:07,607 --> 00:00:10,176 - In the criminal justice system, 2 00:00:11,444 --> 00:00:12,746 detectives and prosecutors face daunting challenges 3 00:00:13,813 --> 00:00:15,081 when money is the motive for murder. 4 00:00:15,181 --> 00:00:17,517 [dramatic sting] 5 00:00:17,617 --> 00:00:20,620 - Here we have Kathie, Robert, and Susan Berman, 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,790 all in happier times. 7 00:00:23,890 --> 00:00:26,593 - Detectives hunt for writer Susan Berman's killer. 8 00:00:26,693 --> 00:00:28,561 - Who would want this woman dead? 9 00:00:28,661 --> 00:00:31,264 - Maybe she was murdered because of her connection 10 00:00:31,364 --> 00:00:33,199 to the Las Vegas mob. 11 00:00:33,299 --> 00:00:34,334 - A link is uncovered 12 00:00:34,434 --> 00:00:36,636 to one of the most notorious murderers 13 00:00:36,736 --> 00:00:38,104 of the 21st century-- 14 00:00:38,204 --> 00:00:39,539 Robert Durst. 15 00:00:39,639 --> 00:00:41,775 - He comes from this billion-dollar 16 00:00:41,875 --> 00:00:43,877 real-estate family in New York City. 17 00:00:43,977 --> 00:00:47,414 - Prosecutors seek justice in a long-awaited new trial. 18 00:00:47,514 --> 00:00:50,383 - We wanted to annihilate them from day one. 19 00:00:50,483 --> 00:00:54,154 - These men and women dedicate their lives to law and order. 20 00:00:54,254 --> 00:00:56,322 - I take great satisfaction 21 00:00:56,423 --> 00:00:59,592 in convicting people who think they got away with it. 22 00:00:59,693 --> 00:01:02,595 - These are their true stories. 23 00:01:08,535 --> 00:01:10,437 [dramatic sting] 24 00:01:12,872 --> 00:01:16,276 [dramatic music] 25 00:01:16,376 --> 00:01:17,243 [line beeps] 26 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:35,462 - Okay. 27 00:01:35,562 --> 00:01:38,998 * * 28 00:01:39,099 --> 00:01:40,800 - This is West L.A.-- 29 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,471 a very expensive, exclusive neighborhood. 30 00:01:44,571 --> 00:01:46,539 There are million-dollar homes out here. 31 00:01:46,639 --> 00:01:51,444 * * 32 00:01:51,544 --> 00:01:54,647 I was the senior man at the call. 33 00:01:54,748 --> 00:01:57,117 So I said, all right, we're gonna go in, 34 00:01:57,150 --> 00:01:59,119 do a search of the house. 35 00:01:59,219 --> 00:02:02,055 I go in through the kitchen... 36 00:02:02,122 --> 00:02:05,558 and don't hear anything-- quiet. 37 00:02:05,658 --> 00:02:07,127 This is Christmas Eve. 38 00:02:07,227 --> 00:02:09,062 So I remember thinking, you know what? 39 00:02:09,129 --> 00:02:11,698 The person probably had to run and make it to LAX 40 00:02:11,798 --> 00:02:13,833 and, you know, forgot to close the door all the way. 41 00:02:13,933 --> 00:02:17,737 * * 42 00:02:17,837 --> 00:02:21,641 I see a purse on the counter. 43 00:02:21,741 --> 00:02:24,077 Then I proceed to my right, 44 00:02:24,144 --> 00:02:26,646 and I see a desk with a computer. 45 00:02:26,746 --> 00:02:30,083 And I think, okay, well, it's not a burglary or a robbery, 46 00:02:30,116 --> 00:02:32,585 because they would have took the computer. 47 00:02:32,686 --> 00:02:36,189 So as I go past the desk, I see legs, 48 00:02:36,289 --> 00:02:39,159 and then I see a lady, dead, 49 00:02:39,259 --> 00:02:42,595 arms spread out, and blood around her head. 50 00:02:42,696 --> 00:02:45,432 * * 51 00:02:45,532 --> 00:02:49,102 It looked like she'd been dead for about 24 to 36 hours. 52 00:02:50,770 --> 00:02:53,573 Whoever the suspect was, after that amount of time, 53 00:02:53,673 --> 00:02:55,241 they're out of here. 54 00:02:55,342 --> 00:02:59,512 We didn't find any neighbors that knew anything. 55 00:02:59,612 --> 00:03:02,916 The purse has ID, credit cards. 56 00:03:03,049 --> 00:03:07,187 We see the name Susan Berman. 57 00:03:07,287 --> 00:03:11,458 Once the coroner came, they rolled her over. 58 00:03:11,558 --> 00:03:14,627 There was a bullet hole in the back of her head. 59 00:03:14,728 --> 00:03:17,564 That's like a mob-type thing. 60 00:03:19,265 --> 00:03:22,435 We later find out she was a daughter 61 00:03:22,535 --> 00:03:25,205 of a guy that used to own a hotel in Vegas 62 00:03:25,305 --> 00:03:27,607 back in the '40s or '50s. 63 00:03:27,707 --> 00:03:30,877 * * 64 00:03:30,977 --> 00:03:34,280 - Her father was an individual by the name of Davie Berman, 65 00:03:34,381 --> 00:03:37,817 who was the CFO, chief financial officer, 66 00:03:37,917 --> 00:03:41,621 for the Jewish Mafia in Vegas. 67 00:03:41,721 --> 00:03:45,925 - Was she killed because she was connected to Vegas? 68 00:03:46,092 --> 00:03:47,827 - My cousin Susie always referred 69 00:03:47,927 --> 00:03:51,664 to her father as a mogul. 70 00:03:51,765 --> 00:03:54,567 Davie Berman was one of the pioneers of Las Vegas. 71 00:03:54,668 --> 00:03:57,404 He erected the Flamingo and the Riviera. 72 00:03:57,504 --> 00:04:01,107 And her mother was a showgirl. 73 00:04:01,207 --> 00:04:04,244 Susan Berman was my second cousin, 74 00:04:04,344 --> 00:04:08,081 but we were much more like sisters. 75 00:04:08,181 --> 00:04:11,151 And our family was crazy and zany. 76 00:04:11,251 --> 00:04:12,819 This was our family. 77 00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:16,056 * * 78 00:04:16,089 --> 00:04:18,158 She was a little girl when her dad died, 79 00:04:18,258 --> 00:04:20,760 and then her mother died, like, a year later. 80 00:04:22,395 --> 00:04:24,064 She had a trust fund set up 81 00:04:24,130 --> 00:04:26,833 that should have taken her through her whole life, 82 00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:29,102 and it would have. 83 00:04:29,202 --> 00:04:32,339 Her trust fund, at the time of her mother's death, 84 00:04:32,439 --> 00:04:34,341 was somewhere between $4 million and $5 million. 85 00:04:34,441 --> 00:04:36,976 But Susie had a character flaw. 86 00:04:37,077 --> 00:04:39,879 She was loyal, and she loved her friends. 87 00:04:39,979 --> 00:04:42,182 And she was an orphan, and she would do anything 88 00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:44,784 to create her own family of friends, 89 00:04:44,884 --> 00:04:47,087 and people took advantage of it. 90 00:04:47,153 --> 00:04:49,322 That money became a trap. 91 00:04:49,422 --> 00:04:52,225 * * 92 00:04:52,325 --> 00:04:55,562 She was always writing and telling stories. 93 00:04:55,662 --> 00:04:57,731 She started typing on that typewriter 94 00:04:57,831 --> 00:05:00,500 and didn't stop till she died. 95 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,336 - Eventually, Susan's pursuit of writing 96 00:05:03,436 --> 00:05:05,171 would lead her to Los Angeles, 97 00:05:05,271 --> 00:05:06,840 where two failed relationships 98 00:05:06,940 --> 00:05:09,175 would give her loving stepchildren. 99 00:05:09,275 --> 00:05:11,411 But a lack of career success 100 00:05:11,511 --> 00:05:14,314 would drain the last of her wealth. 101 00:05:14,414 --> 00:05:16,649 - And she started renting the house in Benedict Canyon, 102 00:05:16,750 --> 00:05:19,219 a Beverly Hills-adjacent neighborhood. 103 00:05:19,319 --> 00:05:21,221 At that point, everything was gone. 104 00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:23,156 Everything was gone. 105 00:05:23,256 --> 00:05:25,725 She was sleeping on a mattress on the floor. 106 00:05:25,825 --> 00:05:29,496 So she was living very, very minimally. 107 00:05:31,264 --> 00:05:34,601 - On Christmas Day, December 25, 2000, 108 00:05:34,701 --> 00:05:38,405 Deni was notified of Susan's tragic death. 109 00:05:38,505 --> 00:05:40,840 - I was just-- 110 00:05:40,940 --> 00:05:43,410 I did start bawling, and I got a little crazy, 111 00:05:43,510 --> 00:05:47,580 and I cried, and I just was like, who would shoot Susie? 112 00:05:47,681 --> 00:05:54,387 * * 113 00:05:55,855 --> 00:05:59,292 - I was a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, 114 00:05:59,392 --> 00:06:02,262 assigned to Robbery-Homicide Division. 115 00:06:02,362 --> 00:06:03,897 The chief decided 116 00:06:04,030 --> 00:06:06,433 Robbery-Homicide was going to handle the murder 117 00:06:06,533 --> 00:06:09,102 of this Mafia princess. 118 00:06:09,202 --> 00:06:11,538 - Investigators immediately identified 119 00:06:11,638 --> 00:06:13,573 three early possibilities 120 00:06:13,673 --> 00:06:15,775 as to who could have motive or opportunity 121 00:06:15,875 --> 00:06:17,744 to commit the crime. 122 00:06:17,844 --> 00:06:21,047 - Detectives thought this was mob related 123 00:06:21,081 --> 00:06:23,650 because Susan had told some of her friends 124 00:06:23,750 --> 00:06:25,418 that I've got a big story coming up. 125 00:06:25,518 --> 00:06:29,055 This is going to break everything. 126 00:06:29,155 --> 00:06:32,158 Maybe she was ruffling some feathers, 127 00:06:32,258 --> 00:06:35,595 and somebody got hit. 128 00:06:35,695 --> 00:06:37,630 - Most of us went for the landlady connection. 129 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:39,099 We thought they were fighting. 130 00:06:39,199 --> 00:06:40,500 She wasn't paying the rent on time. 131 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,569 We were all helping with the rent. 132 00:06:42,669 --> 00:06:44,804 We were doing the best we could. 133 00:06:44,904 --> 00:06:47,474 - Susan had a longtime manager. 134 00:06:47,574 --> 00:06:50,076 I never did understand that relationship, 135 00:06:50,176 --> 00:06:51,978 because she didn't pay him. 136 00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:54,848 I think he was waiting for that one big payday 137 00:06:54,948 --> 00:06:56,483 that would come in. 138 00:06:56,583 --> 00:06:58,284 - He was of interest to the police 139 00:06:58,385 --> 00:07:01,688 because he took it upon himself after she was murdered 140 00:07:01,788 --> 00:07:04,090 to go over to the house and just start walking around 141 00:07:04,190 --> 00:07:06,026 and looking around. 142 00:07:06,092 --> 00:07:09,863 And that just doesn't sound right for anybody. 143 00:07:10,030 --> 00:07:12,132 - Investigators needed more information 144 00:07:12,232 --> 00:07:14,200 to be able to move any of the three leads 145 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:16,803 towards a prime suspect. 146 00:07:16,903 --> 00:07:19,339 As the investigation continued, 147 00:07:19,439 --> 00:07:22,842 Coulter was notified of a peculiar development. 148 00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:26,713 - Beverly Hills PD received a letter. 149 00:07:26,813 --> 00:07:29,349 It said that there is a cadaver 150 00:07:29,449 --> 00:07:32,786 at 1527 Benedict Canyon. 151 00:07:32,886 --> 00:07:36,956 - This was the cadaver letter that went to Beverly Hills PD. 152 00:07:37,057 --> 00:07:38,892 The cadaver letter was postmarked 153 00:07:39,059 --> 00:07:41,127 the day after the murder. 154 00:07:41,227 --> 00:07:44,297 We have the envelope and the note 155 00:07:44,397 --> 00:07:47,334 all chemically treated, hoping to get fingerprints, 156 00:07:47,434 --> 00:07:49,736 to which we don't get anything. 157 00:07:49,836 --> 00:07:53,807 But, okay, could we get DNA off of the flap of the envelope, 158 00:07:53,907 --> 00:07:56,409 or can we get DNA off of the stamp? 159 00:07:56,509 --> 00:07:58,078 We don't get anything. 160 00:07:58,144 --> 00:08:00,880 So we're just striking out on all of that stuff. 161 00:08:01,014 --> 00:08:03,717 But we do have the writing. 162 00:08:03,817 --> 00:08:05,185 You know, we're looking and go, 163 00:08:05,285 --> 00:08:07,754 okay, well, they spelled Beverly wrong. 164 00:08:07,854 --> 00:08:10,390 It's printed like a second grader. 165 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:14,828 It was like, who the hell uses the word "cadaver"? 166 00:08:14,928 --> 00:08:17,197 That might lead us to the killer. 167 00:08:17,297 --> 00:08:22,736 * * 168 00:08:25,405 --> 00:08:27,207 - Seeking more evidence, 169 00:08:27,307 --> 00:08:29,776 Coulter revisited the crime scene. 170 00:08:29,876 --> 00:08:32,045 There, an unexpected encounter 171 00:08:32,145 --> 00:08:34,547 marked a major turn in the case. 172 00:08:34,647 --> 00:08:36,082 - New York State Police were there-- 173 00:08:36,182 --> 00:08:39,386 Joe Becerra and a D.A. investigator 174 00:08:39,486 --> 00:08:41,521 from Westchester County. 175 00:08:41,621 --> 00:08:44,591 We learn Susan Berman was an individual 176 00:08:44,691 --> 00:08:46,593 that they wanted to interview 177 00:08:46,693 --> 00:08:49,295 because of her close relationship 178 00:08:49,396 --> 00:08:52,465 with the suspect of another murder investigation 179 00:08:52,565 --> 00:08:54,467 by the name of Robert Durst. 180 00:08:54,567 --> 00:09:01,474 * * 181 00:09:03,276 --> 00:09:06,012 - I came out to L.A. and met 182 00:09:06,046 --> 00:09:09,716 with the Los Angeles Police Robbery-Homicide detectives 183 00:09:09,816 --> 00:09:12,152 and basically share the information we had-- 184 00:09:12,252 --> 00:09:17,157 how Robert Durst is a suspect in a decades-old murder case 185 00:09:17,257 --> 00:09:20,026 that we're investigating. 186 00:09:20,093 --> 00:09:22,395 We were looking at Bob for his wife's murder, 187 00:09:22,495 --> 00:09:26,032 and Susan was a potential witness for us. 188 00:09:26,099 --> 00:09:28,034 They were incredibly close. 189 00:09:28,101 --> 00:09:31,104 [airplane engine whirring] 190 00:09:33,406 --> 00:09:37,043 The plan of law enforcement was to go out to Los Angeles 191 00:09:37,110 --> 00:09:39,646 and basically do a surprise interview of Susan Berman 192 00:09:39,746 --> 00:09:42,449 in 2001 at the beginning of the year. 193 00:09:44,751 --> 00:09:47,520 And then I received a phone call from one of her friends 194 00:09:47,620 --> 00:09:49,789 screaming at me, saying, 195 00:09:49,889 --> 00:09:51,825 "Susan's dead. Susan's dead. She's been murdered." 196 00:09:51,925 --> 00:09:55,128 * * 197 00:09:55,228 --> 00:10:00,333 - Susan and Bobby had an almost instant connection. 198 00:10:00,433 --> 00:10:01,968 - Susan ends up helping Bob, 199 00:10:02,068 --> 00:10:06,139 and she now has Bob under her control. 200 00:10:06,239 --> 00:10:09,376 - That's when we found the check from Robert Durst 201 00:10:09,476 --> 00:10:12,145 to her for 25,000. 202 00:10:12,245 --> 00:10:14,514 - My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. 203 00:10:21,070 --> 00:10:24,540 - Susan Berman was probably our main witness 204 00:10:25,408 --> 00:10:27,043 in our ongoing murder investigation, 205 00:10:27,143 --> 00:10:28,778 and here she is, murdered. 206 00:10:28,878 --> 00:10:32,281 [dramatic music] 207 00:10:32,382 --> 00:10:34,417 [train rattling] 208 00:10:34,517 --> 00:10:37,153 * * 209 00:10:37,253 --> 00:10:38,755 - A year before Susan's death, 210 00:10:38,855 --> 00:10:41,491 Investigator Becerra reopened 211 00:10:41,591 --> 00:10:44,961 the unsolved 20-year-old missing-persons case 212 00:10:45,061 --> 00:10:46,929 of Kathie Durst. 213 00:10:47,030 --> 00:10:49,666 - There was a theory that Kathie was murdered 214 00:10:49,766 --> 00:10:53,302 by her husband, Robert Durst, in South Salem back in 1982 215 00:10:53,403 --> 00:10:55,772 and that her body has never been found. 216 00:10:55,872 --> 00:10:59,509 * * 217 00:10:59,609 --> 00:11:02,945 There was no concrete evidence that she was murdered, 218 00:11:03,046 --> 00:11:05,081 but it really piqued my interest. 219 00:11:05,181 --> 00:11:07,517 I had no idea who the Durst family was. 220 00:11:07,617 --> 00:11:10,053 [upbeat music] 221 00:11:10,119 --> 00:11:12,655 It was once I started looking into Kathie's disappearance 222 00:11:12,755 --> 00:11:14,324 and doing some background 223 00:11:14,424 --> 00:11:16,426 that I realized that Robert Durst 224 00:11:16,526 --> 00:11:19,195 comes from this billion-dollar real-estate family 225 00:11:19,295 --> 00:11:21,064 in New York City. 226 00:11:21,097 --> 00:11:22,965 That's the lake house in South Salem. 227 00:11:23,066 --> 00:11:26,302 This is the Upper West Side penthouse. 228 00:11:26,402 --> 00:11:28,271 Early on in my investigation, 229 00:11:28,371 --> 00:11:31,641 I learned that Susan Berman and Bobby were extremely close. 230 00:11:31,741 --> 00:11:36,779 * * 231 00:11:36,879 --> 00:11:40,083 Here we have Kathie, Robert, and Susan Berman, 232 00:11:40,116 --> 00:11:41,451 all in happier times. 233 00:11:43,353 --> 00:11:45,221 - Susie met Bobby Durst 234 00:11:45,321 --> 00:11:48,958 when she was living at Rieber Hall in UCLA. 235 00:11:49,092 --> 00:11:52,829 - Susan and Bobby had an almost instant connection. 236 00:11:52,929 --> 00:11:55,331 She found out that Bobby Durst was wealthy, 237 00:11:55,431 --> 00:11:57,900 and Susan herself came from money. 238 00:11:58,001 --> 00:12:00,203 The one key thing was, 239 00:12:00,303 --> 00:12:03,206 Susan lost her parents at age 12, 240 00:12:03,306 --> 00:12:07,377 and Robert Durst lost his mother at age seven. 241 00:12:07,477 --> 00:12:10,680 So there is an instant bond with them. 242 00:12:10,780 --> 00:12:13,750 [dramatic music] 243 00:12:13,850 --> 00:12:16,252 After she got her master's degree, 244 00:12:16,352 --> 00:12:19,489 Susan decided to follow Bobby to New York. 245 00:12:19,589 --> 00:12:23,226 And he and his new wife, Kathie, 246 00:12:23,326 --> 00:12:26,062 had a penthouse. 247 00:12:26,162 --> 00:12:28,731 Susan moved into their spare room for a few months. 248 00:12:28,831 --> 00:12:33,736 And five years later, Kathie Durst disappeared. 249 00:12:33,836 --> 00:12:37,440 - This is Kathie's missing-person flyer. 250 00:12:39,308 --> 00:12:41,611 Robert's story to law enforcement at the time 251 00:12:41,711 --> 00:12:44,080 was that Kathie came back from a party, 252 00:12:44,113 --> 00:12:45,581 and she wanted to drive to the city 253 00:12:45,682 --> 00:12:47,950 because she had classes the next day. 254 00:12:48,084 --> 00:12:50,086 He didn't want her to drive, 255 00:12:50,186 --> 00:12:52,955 and he wanted to stay up at the lakeside house. 256 00:12:53,089 --> 00:12:56,292 He then drove her to the Katonah train station, 257 00:12:56,392 --> 00:13:00,296 and she boarded a train from Katonah to New York City. 258 00:13:00,396 --> 00:13:04,467 And then he called Kathie to check in on her, 259 00:13:04,567 --> 00:13:07,070 and he said that she was safely at home in the city. 260 00:13:07,170 --> 00:13:09,639 * * 261 00:13:09,739 --> 00:13:12,075 Also, which was interesting, there was a phone call 262 00:13:12,175 --> 00:13:15,044 that a dean at Albert Einstein received 263 00:13:15,078 --> 00:13:17,080 from a woman purporting to be Kathie, 264 00:13:17,180 --> 00:13:19,716 saying she was not going to be coming in for her studies 265 00:13:19,816 --> 00:13:21,217 because she was sick. 266 00:13:21,317 --> 00:13:23,753 And that was on Monday, the 1st of February. 267 00:13:28,224 --> 00:13:32,795 I learned that Kathie was going through this divorce 268 00:13:32,895 --> 00:13:34,630 with Robert. 269 00:13:34,731 --> 00:13:37,633 Bob wasn't accepting any terms of the divorce settlement. 270 00:13:37,734 --> 00:13:41,404 - Susan said Robert Durst was very, very cheap. 271 00:13:41,504 --> 00:13:43,573 He kind of just wanted to, like, avoid 272 00:13:43,673 --> 00:13:47,410 taking that deal no matter what. 273 00:13:47,510 --> 00:13:51,180 - Investigators theorized that conflict had escalated 274 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,417 between Robert and Kathie, and he had murdered her 275 00:13:54,517 --> 00:13:56,753 to avoid a massive payout. 276 00:13:56,853 --> 00:13:59,922 Becerra expected that if Durst confided in anyone, 277 00:14:00,023 --> 00:14:03,326 it would have been Susan. 278 00:14:03,426 --> 00:14:06,863 - The fact that shortly before we're going to interview her, 279 00:14:07,030 --> 00:14:09,032 she's found dead in her home, 280 00:14:09,132 --> 00:14:11,167 I could not help but think it was him. 281 00:14:11,267 --> 00:14:17,273 * * 282 00:14:17,373 --> 00:14:18,875 While I was out in California, 283 00:14:19,042 --> 00:14:21,377 I was interviewing friends of Susan. 284 00:14:21,477 --> 00:14:24,514 Friends of Susan Berman spoke very highly of Bob, 285 00:14:24,614 --> 00:14:26,716 because, basically, Susan gushed over him, 286 00:14:26,816 --> 00:14:28,551 you know, how he was always there for her, 287 00:14:28,651 --> 00:14:29,719 how tight they were. 288 00:14:29,819 --> 00:14:32,889 - Detective Coulter immediately asked me 289 00:14:33,056 --> 00:14:37,060 if I thought that Bobby Durst could be a person of interest. 290 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,062 And I'm like, what are you saying? 291 00:14:39,162 --> 00:14:42,465 They're best friends. What are you talking about? 292 00:14:42,565 --> 00:14:44,734 It never even occurred to me. 293 00:14:44,834 --> 00:14:49,572 * * 294 00:14:49,672 --> 00:14:51,174 - In 1981, 295 00:14:51,274 --> 00:14:54,077 the book "Easy Street" by Susan came out. 296 00:14:54,177 --> 00:14:57,480 "Easy Street" was Susan's version 297 00:14:57,580 --> 00:15:00,216 of growing up in Las Vegas. 298 00:15:00,316 --> 00:15:02,318 It was a best seller. 299 00:15:02,418 --> 00:15:06,189 - Bobby Durst came to the "Easy Street" book parties. 300 00:15:06,289 --> 00:15:09,892 She always included Bobby because he was like family. 301 00:15:10,026 --> 00:15:11,894 He was a brother from another mother. 302 00:15:12,028 --> 00:15:13,930 He was very happy for her. 303 00:15:14,030 --> 00:15:17,166 - And then it was going to be turned into a movie. 304 00:15:17,266 --> 00:15:20,336 She moved to Los Angeles, 305 00:15:20,436 --> 00:15:22,572 but Susan became kind of controlling 306 00:15:22,672 --> 00:15:26,876 on how the movie would be, and the deal was killed. 307 00:15:27,043 --> 00:15:29,412 And she was hitting up people for money. 308 00:15:29,512 --> 00:15:33,182 She was behind in her rent, like, 13 months. 309 00:15:33,282 --> 00:15:37,086 It was unbelievable. 310 00:15:37,186 --> 00:15:39,255 - When we looked at her bank records, 311 00:15:39,355 --> 00:15:42,725 the figure that stuck out was a $25,000 deposit. 312 00:15:42,825 --> 00:15:44,761 That's when we found the check 313 00:15:44,861 --> 00:15:48,631 from Robert Durst to her for 25,000... 314 00:15:48,731 --> 00:15:53,369 deposited into her account in November of 2000. 315 00:15:53,469 --> 00:15:57,607 Eventually there'd been two checks, totaling 50,000. 316 00:15:57,707 --> 00:15:59,809 - For Bobby, that was quite generous-- 317 00:15:59,909 --> 00:16:02,211 helping pay the rent and buy groceries and whatnot. 318 00:16:02,311 --> 00:16:04,914 He didn't want Susie to starve. 319 00:16:05,014 --> 00:16:07,283 - Although the timing of Susan's death 320 00:16:07,383 --> 00:16:10,019 seemed to coincide with the Durst investigation, 321 00:16:10,086 --> 00:16:12,455 by all accounts, he was a great friend to her 322 00:16:12,555 --> 00:16:14,657 and was supporting her financially. 323 00:16:14,757 --> 00:16:17,827 Investigators revisited their other leads-- 324 00:16:17,927 --> 00:16:20,730 a possible Mob hit, Susan's landlady, 325 00:16:20,830 --> 00:16:23,299 and Susan's manager. 326 00:16:25,568 --> 00:16:27,303 - Old-time mobsters-- 327 00:16:27,403 --> 00:16:30,139 most of those guys are dead, or they're in their 80s, 328 00:16:30,239 --> 00:16:32,241 and they were immediately saying 329 00:16:32,342 --> 00:16:35,478 there would be no reason to kill Davie Berman's daughter. 330 00:16:35,578 --> 00:16:38,247 It wasn't like she was onto something. 331 00:16:38,348 --> 00:16:41,150 - She was researching to write a book 332 00:16:41,250 --> 00:16:45,955 about the women behind the big players in Vegas. 333 00:16:46,055 --> 00:16:48,157 That's not something that's going to get you killed. 334 00:16:48,257 --> 00:16:51,060 There was nothing of value 335 00:16:51,094 --> 00:16:53,496 from the Mafia background. 336 00:16:53,596 --> 00:16:55,698 - Detectives obtained a warrant 337 00:16:55,798 --> 00:16:58,701 for the landlady's home, and a search yielded a gun. 338 00:16:58,801 --> 00:17:01,537 But it did not match the 9-millimeter weapon 339 00:17:01,637 --> 00:17:04,140 that had killed Susan Berman. 340 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,277 - And she was in her late 70s, early 80s. 341 00:17:08,378 --> 00:17:10,680 This lady has nothing to do with it. 342 00:17:10,780 --> 00:17:12,515 - Meanwhile, Susan's manager 343 00:17:12,615 --> 00:17:15,184 emerged at the top of a short list of leads. 344 00:17:15,284 --> 00:17:17,887 Investigators brought him in for an interview. 345 00:17:18,021 --> 00:17:20,056 - We gave him a polygraph. 346 00:17:20,156 --> 00:17:22,458 It was inconclusive. 347 00:17:22,558 --> 00:17:24,360 We did handwriting, 348 00:17:24,460 --> 00:17:27,897 which although not exactly like the cadaver note, 349 00:17:28,031 --> 00:17:29,799 there were similarities. 350 00:17:29,899 --> 00:17:32,468 So you can't strike him off. 351 00:17:32,568 --> 00:17:35,838 - As the other leads lost traction or were eliminated, 352 00:17:35,938 --> 00:17:37,807 investigators turn their attention 353 00:17:37,907 --> 00:17:39,676 back to Robert Durst. 354 00:17:39,776 --> 00:17:43,346 - We had tried to set up interviews with Robert. 355 00:17:43,446 --> 00:17:46,482 And then one day, we get a letter from his attorney 356 00:17:46,582 --> 00:17:48,551 about not contacting him. 357 00:17:48,651 --> 00:17:51,554 He doesn't want to be interviewed. 358 00:17:51,654 --> 00:17:56,059 He was in San Francisco when she was killed. 359 00:17:56,092 --> 00:17:57,927 - They have an alibi for Durst 360 00:17:58,061 --> 00:18:00,063 that he was not in Los Angeles at the time. 361 00:18:00,163 --> 00:18:03,166 Los Angeles Police had their work cut out for them. 362 00:18:03,266 --> 00:18:04,901 They were at a loss. 363 00:18:05,001 --> 00:18:07,537 Whenever time permitted, we'd compare notes 364 00:18:07,637 --> 00:18:09,205 to see if we could help each other out. 365 00:18:09,305 --> 00:18:11,507 We were getting a little frustrated 366 00:18:11,607 --> 00:18:13,443 because our case was still a cold case. 367 00:18:15,645 --> 00:18:18,581 Susan's was starting to get cold. 368 00:18:18,681 --> 00:18:20,717 - And then Galveston happens. 369 00:18:20,817 --> 00:18:25,021 * * 370 00:18:34,063 --> 00:18:36,232 [dramatic sting] 371 00:18:36,766 --> 00:18:40,036 [dramatic music] 372 00:18:40,136 --> 00:18:41,938 - I get a call saying, did you hear 373 00:18:42,038 --> 00:18:44,040 that they just arrested Robert Durst 374 00:18:44,140 --> 00:18:46,042 in Galveston, Texas, for murdering a neighbor? 375 00:18:46,075 --> 00:18:47,577 And I'm like, are you kidding me? 376 00:18:47,677 --> 00:18:51,247 What the hell is he doing in Galveston, Texas? 377 00:18:51,347 --> 00:18:54,417 And a bunch of us flew right down to Galveston. 378 00:18:54,517 --> 00:18:56,619 We met with detectives there, 379 00:18:56,719 --> 00:18:59,889 and they told us that Robert Durst is living 380 00:18:59,989 --> 00:19:02,492 in a $400-a-month-- 381 00:19:02,592 --> 00:19:04,127 almost like a rooming house, 382 00:19:04,227 --> 00:19:07,997 dressed as a mute woman named Dorothy Ciner. 383 00:19:08,097 --> 00:19:10,133 He supposedly killed 384 00:19:10,233 --> 00:19:14,771 and chopped up his neighbor, Morris Black... 385 00:19:14,871 --> 00:19:18,074 and threw him in Galveston Bay. 386 00:19:18,174 --> 00:19:19,776 And they basically recovered 387 00:19:19,876 --> 00:19:22,612 this person's whole body except the head. 388 00:19:22,712 --> 00:19:27,317 * * 389 00:19:27,417 --> 00:19:29,319 They had him basically dead to rights 390 00:19:29,419 --> 00:19:32,355 with the forensic evidence at his apartment, 391 00:19:32,455 --> 00:19:35,692 Morris's apartment, the bow saw, the gun, 392 00:19:35,792 --> 00:19:39,462 the receipts, the body bag, you know, everything. 393 00:19:39,562 --> 00:19:41,531 Galveston is the city where you go to hide, 394 00:19:41,631 --> 00:19:43,466 where you don't want to be found. 395 00:19:43,566 --> 00:19:45,802 We learned that Morris Black happened to live 396 00:19:45,902 --> 00:19:48,204 across the hall from Bob in this rooming house. 397 00:19:48,304 --> 00:19:50,273 The two of them became friendly, 398 00:19:50,373 --> 00:19:54,310 and Bob basically revealed himself to Morris. 399 00:19:54,410 --> 00:19:56,346 * * 400 00:19:56,446 --> 00:19:58,047 - If he could do this 401 00:19:58,114 --> 00:20:01,617 to this old guy here in Galveston, 402 00:20:01,718 --> 00:20:03,553 he could kill Susan Berman. 403 00:20:03,653 --> 00:20:07,023 * * 404 00:20:07,123 --> 00:20:10,360 One of the weapons they recovered down in Galveston 405 00:20:10,460 --> 00:20:14,697 was a 9-millimeter, which was our casing. 406 00:20:14,797 --> 00:20:19,502 So we really started delving into Robert Durst. 407 00:20:19,602 --> 00:20:22,338 * * 408 00:20:27,310 --> 00:20:30,346 - Detective Coulter knew the gun recovered in Galveston 409 00:20:30,446 --> 00:20:33,716 could be a vital piece of evidence in the Berman case. 410 00:20:33,816 --> 00:20:37,887 So he coordinated a test fire with Galveston PD. 411 00:20:37,987 --> 00:20:40,990 - We have it test-fired... 412 00:20:41,090 --> 00:20:43,226 and our people say, 413 00:20:43,326 --> 00:20:46,562 nope, not your weapon. 414 00:20:46,663 --> 00:20:50,366 The casing and bullets test negative. 415 00:20:50,466 --> 00:20:53,269 Now we're back to square one. 416 00:20:53,369 --> 00:20:56,339 When she was killed, he was in San Francisco. 417 00:20:56,439 --> 00:20:57,674 So we're thinking, 418 00:20:57,774 --> 00:21:01,711 well, okay, he gets his flight from San Francisco. 419 00:21:01,811 --> 00:21:04,547 I verified that he was on that flight, 420 00:21:04,647 --> 00:21:06,949 and I says, okay, good, I got him in California 421 00:21:07,050 --> 00:21:08,418 but not in L.A. 422 00:21:08,518 --> 00:21:13,056 And if you've ever driven L.A. to San Francisco, 423 00:21:13,156 --> 00:21:16,359 it's about a six-, seven-hour drive. 424 00:21:16,459 --> 00:21:18,094 So there would have been plenty of time 425 00:21:18,194 --> 00:21:21,764 for him to be there the night before, kill her. 426 00:21:21,864 --> 00:21:25,101 So I did search warrants on the phone numbers. 427 00:21:25,201 --> 00:21:27,704 The cell phone that he had the days surrounding 428 00:21:27,804 --> 00:21:29,739 before and after Susan's death, 429 00:21:29,839 --> 00:21:32,775 it's like, there's no activity. 430 00:21:32,875 --> 00:21:35,411 It's like the phone has been turned off. 431 00:21:35,511 --> 00:21:37,647 * * 432 00:21:37,747 --> 00:21:42,418 That's just another little red flag that goes up on the guy. 433 00:21:42,518 --> 00:21:48,424 * * 434 00:21:50,693 --> 00:21:53,896 - Detective Coulter shifted focus to the cadaver note 435 00:21:53,997 --> 00:21:55,598 that had been anonymously sent 436 00:21:55,698 --> 00:21:58,001 to the Beverly Hills Police Department. 437 00:21:58,101 --> 00:22:01,471 - Our handwriting expert and I went down to Galveston 438 00:22:01,571 --> 00:22:03,406 so that I could compare the cadaver note 439 00:22:03,506 --> 00:22:05,274 to Robert Durst's handwriting. 440 00:22:05,375 --> 00:22:08,177 * * 441 00:22:08,277 --> 00:22:12,248 This stuff, obviously, is from the cadaver letter. 442 00:22:12,348 --> 00:22:16,419 So he is told to write that over and over and over again. 443 00:22:18,054 --> 00:22:20,189 - Coulter presented the writing samples 444 00:22:20,289 --> 00:22:22,859 from Durst and Susan's former manager 445 00:22:22,959 --> 00:22:25,828 to experts at the California Department of Justice 446 00:22:25,928 --> 00:22:29,666 to determine a possible match to the cadaver note. 447 00:22:29,766 --> 00:22:32,368 - Here you got these samples from this individual, 448 00:22:32,468 --> 00:22:34,671 these samples from this individual, 449 00:22:34,771 --> 00:22:36,539 the manager. 450 00:22:36,639 --> 00:22:40,276 I said, here is my cadaver note. 451 00:22:40,376 --> 00:22:42,645 You tell me who it is. 452 00:22:42,745 --> 00:22:45,982 And they said, it's most likely Durst. 453 00:22:46,082 --> 00:22:51,454 * * 454 00:22:51,554 --> 00:22:56,292 But it wasn't enough to arrest and convict 455 00:22:56,392 --> 00:23:00,063 for the murder of Susan Berman. 456 00:23:00,163 --> 00:23:03,299 I'm confident it's him, 457 00:23:03,399 --> 00:23:07,670 but I can't quite get over that hump to prove it yet. 458 00:23:07,770 --> 00:23:09,872 - We were still working the Kathie Durst case, 459 00:23:10,039 --> 00:23:13,643 but we were also waiting on the Galveston case 460 00:23:13,743 --> 00:23:15,178 to see how that played out. 461 00:23:15,278 --> 00:23:17,213 * * 462 00:23:17,313 --> 00:23:20,817 [indistinct chatter] 463 00:23:20,917 --> 00:23:22,752 I really thought the prosecution 464 00:23:22,852 --> 00:23:25,154 had a very good case. 465 00:23:25,254 --> 00:23:28,758 The physical evidence was overwhelming. 466 00:23:28,858 --> 00:23:31,060 - If your last name is Durst, 467 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,831 you can hire the best defense attorney in Texas, 468 00:23:34,931 --> 00:23:36,666 and that was Dick DeGuerin. 469 00:23:36,766 --> 00:23:40,570 And Dick DeGuerin had an incredible reputation. 470 00:23:40,670 --> 00:23:44,440 - He basically claims that 471 00:23:44,540 --> 00:23:46,743 he went into his room, and Morris is there 472 00:23:46,843 --> 00:23:48,845 with his gun, and they started fighting for the gun, 473 00:23:48,945 --> 00:23:51,080 and it was a struggle, and the gun accidentally went off, 474 00:23:51,180 --> 00:23:54,617 shooting Morris. 475 00:23:54,717 --> 00:23:57,787 - We know that what the state is going to say 476 00:23:57,887 --> 00:24:00,423 is dismembering the body 477 00:24:00,523 --> 00:24:03,092 is evidence of guilt. 478 00:24:03,192 --> 00:24:05,628 It could also indicate fear. 479 00:24:05,728 --> 00:24:08,431 It could indicate panic. 480 00:24:08,531 --> 00:24:11,901 Whatever he did after Morris Black was dead 481 00:24:12,035 --> 00:24:16,072 cannot change the way Morris Black died. 482 00:24:16,172 --> 00:24:19,375 * * 483 00:24:19,475 --> 00:24:23,079 - Will the defendant please rise? 484 00:24:23,179 --> 00:24:26,315 "For the verdict of the jury as such, 485 00:24:26,416 --> 00:24:29,952 "we, the jury, find the defendant, Robert Durst, 486 00:24:30,053 --> 00:24:31,454 not guilty." 487 00:24:31,554 --> 00:24:35,258 [camera shutters clicking] 488 00:24:35,358 --> 00:24:38,094 - My jaw dropped. I just--I couldn't believe it. 489 00:24:38,194 --> 00:24:40,296 * * 490 00:24:40,396 --> 00:24:43,633 - I said, you've got to be kidding me. 491 00:24:43,733 --> 00:24:45,134 - Well, if they'd found the head, 492 00:24:45,234 --> 00:24:46,569 I'm guessing there would have been 493 00:24:46,669 --> 00:24:48,137 a bullet in the back of it. [clicks tongue] 494 00:24:48,237 --> 00:24:51,841 So that doesn't sound like self-defense to me. 495 00:24:51,941 --> 00:24:55,445 - When Bob got acquitted in the death of Morris Black, 496 00:24:55,545 --> 00:24:57,146 things kind of went cold for a while. 497 00:25:00,483 --> 00:25:03,019 The Durst family, I'm sure they were embarrassed 498 00:25:03,086 --> 00:25:04,587 by Robert's antics. 499 00:25:04,687 --> 00:25:06,656 They paid him what was due to him 500 00:25:06,756 --> 00:25:10,593 just to wash their hands of everything Robert Durst. 501 00:25:10,693 --> 00:25:13,796 There was frustration on Kathie's family and friends, 502 00:25:13,896 --> 00:25:16,933 'cause I spoke regularly with them, and they're like, 503 00:25:17,033 --> 00:25:18,634 he's getting away with it again. 504 00:25:18,735 --> 00:25:20,203 It's happening again. 505 00:25:20,303 --> 00:25:22,638 His money, his power, his privilege is getting him off. 506 00:25:22,739 --> 00:25:26,642 - Durst reportedly spent over $1.8 million 507 00:25:26,743 --> 00:25:28,277 on his defense. 508 00:25:28,378 --> 00:25:31,280 - He did it, and he got away with it. 509 00:25:31,381 --> 00:25:34,517 How much money has this ass---- got? 510 00:25:34,817 --> 00:25:36,980 [dramatic sting] 511 00:25:36,984 --> 00:25:46,059 [dramatic sting] 512 00:25:48,595 --> 00:25:51,231 [dramatic music] 513 00:25:51,331 --> 00:25:52,832 - My name is John Lewin. 514 00:25:52,932 --> 00:25:55,368 I was the lead prosecutor on the case 515 00:25:55,468 --> 00:25:57,470 of People vs. Robert Durst-- 516 00:25:57,570 --> 00:26:00,073 the murder of Susan Berman. 517 00:26:00,173 --> 00:26:02,909 But we have to back up, 518 00:26:03,009 --> 00:26:05,245 and this all ties together. 519 00:26:05,345 --> 00:26:07,681 - After Durst's acquittal in Galveston, 520 00:26:07,781 --> 00:26:11,484 his story gained notoriety. 521 00:26:11,584 --> 00:26:15,689 - In 2010, Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling 522 00:26:15,789 --> 00:26:18,692 introduced a film called "All Good Things," 523 00:26:18,792 --> 00:26:21,227 which was a fictionalized version 524 00:26:21,328 --> 00:26:23,897 of the Robert Durst story. 525 00:26:24,030 --> 00:26:27,534 - Lily Rabe portrayed Susie's character. 526 00:26:27,634 --> 00:26:29,903 - And the film basically portrays 527 00:26:30,036 --> 00:26:33,606 Bob Durst as responsible for the murder of three people. 528 00:26:33,707 --> 00:26:36,576 It is not a flattering portrayal. 529 00:26:36,676 --> 00:26:39,412 Most people who would see a movie like that, 530 00:26:39,512 --> 00:26:42,082 that is allegedly depicting their life, 531 00:26:42,182 --> 00:26:44,250 the next call would be to their lawyer, 532 00:26:44,351 --> 00:26:46,119 saying, what can we do to sue these people? 533 00:26:46,219 --> 00:26:47,354 How can we stop them? 534 00:26:47,454 --> 00:26:49,089 - If anything happens to me, 535 00:26:49,189 --> 00:26:51,257 don't let them get away with it. 536 00:26:51,358 --> 00:26:53,727 - Bob's response was different. 537 00:26:53,827 --> 00:27:00,133 * * 538 00:27:00,233 --> 00:27:01,401 - Robert got in touch 539 00:27:01,501 --> 00:27:02,902 with Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling, 540 00:27:03,003 --> 00:27:04,471 who did the movie. 541 00:27:04,571 --> 00:27:06,106 He liked the way he was portrayed 542 00:27:06,206 --> 00:27:09,009 and basically wanted to give his side of the story. 543 00:27:24,791 --> 00:27:28,328 - Andrew ends up taking that opportunity, 544 00:27:28,428 --> 00:27:30,897 and he ran with it. 545 00:27:31,031 --> 00:27:33,299 He, in essence, started reinvestigating 546 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:37,337 the entire Kathie/Susan/Morris story. 547 00:27:37,437 --> 00:27:42,742 * * 548 00:27:42,842 --> 00:27:46,079 - Marc had reached out to Sareb Kaufman, 549 00:27:46,179 --> 00:27:48,348 Susan Berman's stepson. 550 00:27:48,448 --> 00:27:52,852 - Sareb had been going through all of Susan's possessions 551 00:27:52,952 --> 00:27:55,689 and had come across a document 552 00:27:55,789 --> 00:27:59,793 that we call "the Sareb note." 553 00:27:59,893 --> 00:28:02,996 It was an envelope with a letter inside 554 00:28:03,096 --> 00:28:04,431 from Bob Durst 555 00:28:04,531 --> 00:28:08,468 from March 3rd of 1999. 556 00:28:08,568 --> 00:28:11,438 And when you look at the envelope 557 00:28:11,538 --> 00:28:13,440 with the cadaver note, 558 00:28:13,540 --> 00:28:17,177 not only is the handwriting of her address identical, 559 00:28:17,277 --> 00:28:20,647 but in both the cadaver note and the Sareb note, 560 00:28:20,747 --> 00:28:23,883 Beverly is spelled wrong. 561 00:28:24,017 --> 00:28:26,186 So if you see them both together, you're going, 562 00:28:26,286 --> 00:28:29,289 oh, okay, this is clearly written by the same person. 563 00:28:29,389 --> 00:28:31,191 Now there's new evidence. 564 00:28:31,291 --> 00:28:33,626 * * 565 00:28:33,727 --> 00:28:36,529 I ended up being made aware of the Sareb note 566 00:28:36,629 --> 00:28:39,532 by Andrew and Marc. 567 00:28:39,632 --> 00:28:43,036 I had the cadaver note, and I also saw the footage 568 00:28:43,136 --> 00:28:45,472 where Durst was confronted, 569 00:28:45,572 --> 00:28:48,375 and it was extremely compelling. 570 00:28:48,475 --> 00:28:49,709 - So you wrote one of these, 571 00:28:49,809 --> 00:28:51,644 but you didn't write the other one? 572 00:28:51,745 --> 00:28:54,214 - I wrote this one, but I did not write the cadaver one. 573 00:28:54,314 --> 00:28:56,683 - And can you tell me which one you didn't write? 574 00:28:56,783 --> 00:28:58,051 - No. 575 00:28:58,118 --> 00:29:00,420 * * 576 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,723 - The Sareb note and advanced footage from "The Jinx" 577 00:29:03,823 --> 00:29:05,558 was finally enough evidence 578 00:29:05,659 --> 00:29:07,560 for the Los Angeles District Attorney 579 00:29:07,661 --> 00:29:09,896 to press charges against Robert Durst 580 00:29:09,996 --> 00:29:12,065 for the murder of Susan Berman. 581 00:29:12,165 --> 00:29:15,535 - My goal was to try and file the case 582 00:29:15,635 --> 00:29:19,272 prior to "The Jinx" coming out, 583 00:29:19,372 --> 00:29:23,109 because my concern was that once "The Jinx" came out, 584 00:29:23,209 --> 00:29:26,846 Bob was going to take off for Cuba and we'd never get him. 585 00:29:27,013 --> 00:29:31,251 - I don't know if Durst is a narcissist or what he is, 586 00:29:31,351 --> 00:29:33,420 but he had to stick around and watch that last episode. 587 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:34,688 He could have long been out of the country. 588 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,696 * * 589 00:29:42,796 --> 00:29:44,397 - When "The Jinx" started, 590 00:29:44,497 --> 00:29:47,767 we were trying to monitor where Bob was. 591 00:29:47,867 --> 00:29:50,270 The FBI is up on him, and we knew-- 592 00:29:50,370 --> 00:29:53,073 I had the advantage that I knew what was coming. 593 00:29:53,173 --> 00:29:57,143 So I knew that episode five was where Bob 594 00:29:57,243 --> 00:30:02,115 was confronted with the Sareb note. 595 00:30:02,215 --> 00:30:05,085 When episode five aired, he immediately ends up 596 00:30:05,185 --> 00:30:07,754 leaving his place in Houston very suddenly, 597 00:30:07,854 --> 00:30:11,825 taking off for parts unknown. 598 00:30:11,925 --> 00:30:13,827 That turned out to be New Orleans. 599 00:30:13,927 --> 00:30:16,830 - FBI agents picked up the eccentric millionaire 600 00:30:16,930 --> 00:30:20,900 at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown New Orleans. 601 00:30:21,001 --> 00:30:24,504 - I was called Saturday, March 14th, 602 00:30:24,604 --> 00:30:27,273 and I was told he's been arrested. 603 00:30:27,374 --> 00:30:29,476 - Robert Durst's arrest this weekend 604 00:30:29,576 --> 00:30:31,611 was the result of a lengthy investigation 605 00:30:31,711 --> 00:30:34,948 by multiple agencies, including the FBI 606 00:30:35,048 --> 00:30:37,450 and police in New York and Los Angeles. 607 00:30:37,550 --> 00:30:40,920 - And we're going to file the case. 608 00:30:41,021 --> 00:30:42,922 - Bob Durst didn't kill Susan Berman. 609 00:30:43,023 --> 00:30:46,292 He's ready to end all the rumor and speculation 610 00:30:46,393 --> 00:30:49,162 and have a trial. 611 00:30:49,262 --> 00:30:51,097 - My understanding was, his net worth 612 00:30:51,197 --> 00:30:53,166 when he went to trial for Susan's death 613 00:30:53,266 --> 00:30:55,301 was about 100 million. 614 00:30:55,402 --> 00:30:58,271 - His lawyers were paid, it's been reported, 615 00:30:58,371 --> 00:31:02,375 somewhere between $10 million and $12 million for the case. 616 00:31:02,475 --> 00:31:05,879 - When you get a case like Durst, 617 00:31:06,046 --> 00:31:08,515 there's nobody better to have on it than John Lewin. 618 00:31:08,615 --> 00:31:10,650 If it was one of my family members, 619 00:31:10,750 --> 00:31:14,621 I would want John Lewin on it. 620 00:31:14,721 --> 00:31:18,525 I think Robert Durst thinks he's smarter than anybody, 621 00:31:18,625 --> 00:31:20,493 but he never dealt with John Lewin before. 622 00:31:20,593 --> 00:31:22,962 * * 623 00:31:30,818 --> 00:31:32,687 [dramatic sting] 624 00:31:33,220 --> 00:31:36,057 [dramatic music] 625 00:31:36,123 --> 00:31:39,226 - They charged Durst with special circumstance murder, 626 00:31:39,327 --> 00:31:40,861 meaning he killed a witness, 627 00:31:40,962 --> 00:31:42,697 who was Susan Berman, who was going to be a witness 628 00:31:42,797 --> 00:31:45,566 in my murder case in New York. 629 00:31:45,666 --> 00:31:48,569 - Lewin's team quickly recorded pretrial interviews 630 00:31:48,669 --> 00:31:53,341 in a courtroom to protect from witness tampering. 631 00:31:53,441 --> 00:31:56,410 - So let's start with, as important witnesses, 632 00:31:56,510 --> 00:31:58,546 Miriam Barnes. 633 00:31:58,646 --> 00:32:01,916 Miriam Barnes is a woman who lived in the same area, 634 00:32:02,016 --> 00:32:03,884 a very nice part of Manhattan, 635 00:32:04,018 --> 00:32:05,219 as Susan Berman did. 636 00:32:06,287 --> 00:32:06,887 Susan had bought a little place there, 637 00:32:08,089 --> 00:32:09,757 and Miriam lived there, and they were friends. 638 00:32:09,857 --> 00:32:13,394 When Kathie disappeared, Susan had come to Miriam. 639 00:32:22,770 --> 00:32:27,041 * * 640 00:32:27,108 --> 00:32:30,711 - Linda Obst was also extremely important. 641 00:32:30,811 --> 00:32:35,282 Linda was a producer in Hollywood. 642 00:32:35,383 --> 00:32:39,053 - I had known Susan Berman for many, many years, 643 00:32:39,153 --> 00:32:40,955 as I was the producer 644 00:32:41,055 --> 00:32:43,958 of her book called "Easy Street." 645 00:32:44,058 --> 00:32:45,760 I was there for development 646 00:32:45,860 --> 00:32:47,728 and to help get the movie sold. 647 00:32:47,828 --> 00:32:50,731 She once told me that she called 648 00:32:50,831 --> 00:32:55,536 Albert Einstein Medical Center and said she was Kathie. 649 00:32:55,636 --> 00:32:59,473 [car horns honking] 650 00:32:59,573 --> 00:33:02,076 - Originally the NYPD 651 00:33:02,176 --> 00:33:04,779 believed that Kathie had made that call 652 00:33:04,879 --> 00:33:07,615 because it was reported 653 00:33:07,715 --> 00:33:10,885 that Kathie had called the dean. 654 00:33:11,018 --> 00:33:14,021 When we went back in 2013 655 00:33:14,055 --> 00:33:16,290 and interviewed the dean, Al Cooperman, 656 00:33:16,390 --> 00:33:20,661 it took us five minutes and basically two questions. 657 00:33:20,761 --> 00:33:24,598 Dr. Cooperman, what made you think it was Kathie? 658 00:33:24,699 --> 00:33:27,768 The person said it was Kathie. 659 00:33:27,868 --> 00:33:29,804 Did you know what her voice sounded like? 660 00:33:29,904 --> 00:33:31,639 No. 661 00:33:31,739 --> 00:33:34,108 Other than the fact that the person said they were Kathie, 662 00:33:34,208 --> 00:33:36,677 do you have any evidence, any information 663 00:33:36,777 --> 00:33:38,813 that, in fact, it was Kathie on the phone? 664 00:33:38,913 --> 00:33:40,614 No. 665 00:33:40,715 --> 00:33:45,353 So Susan basically called, pretending to be Kathie 666 00:33:45,453 --> 00:33:48,789 so that it would make it seem as if Kathie was alive, 667 00:33:48,889 --> 00:33:51,659 had made it back to New York City, 668 00:33:51,759 --> 00:33:55,496 when, in fact, she had been killed 669 00:33:55,596 --> 00:33:58,966 in Westchester County the night before. 670 00:33:59,066 --> 00:34:03,537 * * 671 00:34:03,638 --> 00:34:05,139 Susan ends up helping Bob, 672 00:34:05,239 --> 00:34:09,810 and she now has Bob under her control. 673 00:34:09,910 --> 00:34:13,381 - Susan made the mistake of telling Bob 674 00:34:13,481 --> 00:34:15,683 that the police contacted her 675 00:34:15,783 --> 00:34:17,852 and they were on their way to interview her. 676 00:34:18,019 --> 00:34:19,654 I think she was trying to extort him a little bit 677 00:34:19,754 --> 00:34:22,556 or get more money prior to her death. 678 00:34:22,657 --> 00:34:26,027 - I think that Bob understood, as did Susan's friends, 679 00:34:26,127 --> 00:34:28,462 that Susan, with her mouth, 680 00:34:28,562 --> 00:34:31,299 if she would have talked to investigators, 681 00:34:31,399 --> 00:34:33,401 she would have ended up spilling the beans, 682 00:34:33,501 --> 00:34:35,303 whether she wanted to or not. 683 00:34:35,403 --> 00:34:37,571 - Please be seated in the witness stand. 684 00:34:37,672 --> 00:34:40,308 - And then we get to Nick Chavin. 685 00:34:40,408 --> 00:34:43,044 - Susan said to me specifically 686 00:34:43,144 --> 00:34:46,747 that Bob killed Kathie. 687 00:34:46,847 --> 00:34:49,083 - Now, the three of them-- Bob, Susan, and Nick-- 688 00:34:49,183 --> 00:34:50,718 were extremely close. 689 00:34:50,818 --> 00:34:53,354 And Nick originally did not believe Susan. 690 00:34:53,454 --> 00:34:57,825 - Sometime in late 2014, 691 00:34:57,925 --> 00:35:00,594 did you have a dinner 692 00:35:00,695 --> 00:35:03,664 with Robert Durst? 693 00:35:03,764 --> 00:35:05,266 - Yes. 694 00:35:05,366 --> 00:35:09,403 Bob said he wanted to talk to me about Susan. 695 00:35:09,503 --> 00:35:12,206 The dinner concluded. 696 00:35:12,306 --> 00:35:15,443 This is hard. We walked out the door. 697 00:35:15,543 --> 00:35:18,012 And on the sidewalk... 698 00:35:18,045 --> 00:35:22,083 I said, you wanted to talk about Susan? 699 00:35:22,183 --> 00:35:24,618 And Bob said... 700 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:27,288 "I had to. 701 00:35:27,388 --> 00:35:29,724 It was her or me. I had no choice." 702 00:35:29,824 --> 00:35:33,728 * * 703 00:35:33,828 --> 00:35:35,763 - John Lewin-- he didn't promise anything. 704 00:35:35,863 --> 00:35:39,133 He said, I'm going to do everything in my power. 705 00:35:39,233 --> 00:35:41,202 I said, please do it. 706 00:35:41,302 --> 00:35:42,770 Just do whatever you have to do. 707 00:35:44,038 --> 00:35:46,040 I was very scared because the one thing I knew-- 708 00:35:46,140 --> 00:35:47,708 he had money and privilege. 709 00:35:47,808 --> 00:35:50,311 Things could be bought. 710 00:35:50,411 --> 00:35:56,417 * * 711 00:35:56,517 --> 00:35:59,286 - Justice requires that trials be conducted 712 00:35:59,387 --> 00:36:01,222 in open court. 713 00:36:01,322 --> 00:36:03,424 - The plan that we had as a team 714 00:36:03,524 --> 00:36:07,328 was that we were going to have a presentation 715 00:36:07,428 --> 00:36:09,597 that laid out everything we had. 716 00:36:09,697 --> 00:36:12,333 * * 717 00:36:12,433 --> 00:36:15,002 We wanted to annihilate them from day one. 718 00:36:15,102 --> 00:36:17,004 It all goes back 719 00:36:17,071 --> 00:36:20,274 to his relationship with Kathie Durst. 720 00:36:20,374 --> 00:36:22,310 Bob killed Kathie. 721 00:36:22,410 --> 00:36:24,111 Whether it was murder or manslaughter, 722 00:36:24,211 --> 00:36:25,846 he killed Kathie. 723 00:36:26,013 --> 00:36:28,449 - My personal opinion is, I feel that Bob 724 00:36:28,549 --> 00:36:30,017 wasn't accepting any terms of the divorce settlement. 725 00:36:30,117 --> 00:36:31,452 They got in a heated argument. 726 00:36:31,552 --> 00:36:36,257 How he did it, I can't say 100%. 727 00:36:36,357 --> 00:36:38,826 But he did end her life. 728 00:36:38,926 --> 00:36:42,363 * * 729 00:36:42,463 --> 00:36:45,933 - Susan helped him cover it up by calling Albert Einstein. 730 00:36:46,033 --> 00:36:48,703 Eventually Susan is going to talk to the police. 731 00:36:48,803 --> 00:36:52,273 She's got to go. He kills her. 732 00:36:52,373 --> 00:36:55,676 He thinks he's about to get arrested and charged 733 00:36:55,776 --> 00:36:59,146 at any time for Kathie's death, so he's hiding in Galveston. 734 00:36:59,246 --> 00:37:01,182 * * 735 00:37:01,282 --> 00:37:03,818 Nobody can connect Bob Durst 736 00:37:03,985 --> 00:37:07,221 to where he is staying in Galveston. 737 00:37:07,321 --> 00:37:11,292 The one person who can is Morris Black. 738 00:37:11,392 --> 00:37:14,061 Morris Black now knows who he is 739 00:37:14,161 --> 00:37:15,796 and is putting pressure on Bob 740 00:37:15,896 --> 00:37:17,898 to end up getting a place together. 741 00:37:17,999 --> 00:37:20,001 He wants Bob to contribute a large amount of money 742 00:37:20,101 --> 00:37:21,736 to a local charity down there. 743 00:37:21,836 --> 00:37:24,639 And eventually Morris has to go, 744 00:37:24,739 --> 00:37:27,041 and Bob gets rid of him. 745 00:37:27,141 --> 00:37:29,377 So everything was tied together. 746 00:37:32,647 --> 00:37:37,184 We started testimony on March 11th of 2020, 747 00:37:37,284 --> 00:37:40,721 and I was very concerned about COVID. 748 00:37:40,821 --> 00:37:44,191 - Los Angeles courts adjourned two days later 749 00:37:44,291 --> 00:37:46,927 and delayed the trial of Robert Durst 750 00:37:47,028 --> 00:37:49,930 for 14 months. 751 00:37:50,031 --> 00:37:51,932 - We picked up right where we left off. 752 00:37:52,033 --> 00:37:53,567 Durst is not jinxed. 753 00:37:53,668 --> 00:37:56,504 He is a three-time killer 754 00:37:56,604 --> 00:38:00,107 who has managed to escape accountability. 755 00:38:00,207 --> 00:38:02,109 A week and a half before we start trial, 756 00:38:02,209 --> 00:38:05,079 the defense stipulated Bob wrote the cadaver note. 757 00:38:05,179 --> 00:38:08,382 * * 758 00:38:08,482 --> 00:38:11,018 What that meant was, Bob is saying, 759 00:38:11,118 --> 00:38:12,720 I found the body, 760 00:38:12,820 --> 00:38:15,256 because he couldn't have written the cadaver note 761 00:38:15,356 --> 00:38:16,791 if he didn't find the body. 762 00:38:16,891 --> 00:38:19,760 The only person who can explain that is Bob Durst. 763 00:38:19,860 --> 00:38:22,997 That meant Bob Durst has to testify. 764 00:38:23,064 --> 00:38:26,200 * * 765 00:38:29,436 --> 00:38:32,138 - On August 9, 2021, 766 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:35,208 Robert Durst took the stand to testify 767 00:38:35,308 --> 00:38:38,445 and attempt to build sympathy with the jury. 768 00:38:38,545 --> 00:38:40,447 [dramatic sting] 769 00:38:40,547 --> 00:38:43,216 [dramatic music] 770 00:38:43,316 --> 00:38:45,552 - The one thing I was concerned about 771 00:38:45,652 --> 00:38:48,455 was that jurors would feel sorry for him 772 00:38:48,555 --> 00:38:50,423 because he had lost his mother. 773 00:39:05,705 --> 00:39:07,340 - And that was real. 774 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:11,578 That's really, really sad. I mean, it's horrible. 775 00:39:11,678 --> 00:39:14,648 So one of the things that really, I thought, 776 00:39:14,748 --> 00:39:16,816 was powerful and direct 777 00:39:16,983 --> 00:39:20,420 was Bob talking about how when he was little, 778 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:24,691 it was Daddy and Dougie and Mommy and Bobby. 779 00:39:24,791 --> 00:39:28,428 And so, when his mother died, he basically lost his ally. 780 00:39:52,052 --> 00:39:55,021 - Well, as soon as I hear it, though, 781 00:39:55,088 --> 00:39:59,459 I realize the Frisbee wasn't invented in 1950 782 00:39:59,559 --> 00:40:02,862 and that Uno wasn't invented in 1950. 783 00:40:02,963 --> 00:40:05,332 So he's ----ing lying 784 00:40:05,432 --> 00:40:08,668 literally about this compelling memory 785 00:40:08,768 --> 00:40:11,204 to these jurors. 786 00:40:11,304 --> 00:40:15,542 The Frisbee was not invented until 1957. 787 00:40:15,642 --> 00:40:18,578 Uno was not invented until 1971. 788 00:40:18,678 --> 00:40:20,981 Mr. Durst, can you explain 789 00:40:21,081 --> 00:40:23,850 why it was that you testified 790 00:40:23,950 --> 00:40:26,686 to what you've now said was a vivid memory? 791 00:40:30,223 --> 00:40:33,560 You have a list of things you will lie about on this trial, 792 00:40:33,660 --> 00:40:36,696 and then the rest of the things, you'll be truthful? 793 00:40:40,634 --> 00:40:41,935 Okay. 794 00:40:42,035 --> 00:40:43,770 I did not expect that Bob would admit 795 00:40:43,870 --> 00:40:46,539 that literally during his testimony in this very case, 796 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:47,574 he had lied. 797 00:40:55,281 --> 00:40:59,252 * * 798 00:40:59,352 --> 00:41:02,422 - So, on September 17, 2021, 799 00:41:02,522 --> 00:41:04,724 the jurors came back with their verdict. 800 00:41:04,824 --> 00:41:07,794 - The clerk will please read the verdict. 801 00:41:07,894 --> 00:41:12,399 - "The people of the State of California vs. Robert Durst. 802 00:41:12,499 --> 00:41:16,036 "We, the jury, find the defendant, Robert Durst, 803 00:41:16,136 --> 00:41:18,438 "guilty of the crime of first-degree murder 804 00:41:18,538 --> 00:41:20,106 of Susan Berman." 805 00:41:20,206 --> 00:41:22,075 - Bob was convicted of everything. 806 00:41:22,175 --> 00:41:24,944 We won on everything. It was a clean sweep. 807 00:41:25,045 --> 00:41:28,114 The sentence is life without the possibility of parole. 808 00:41:28,214 --> 00:41:30,750 * * 809 00:41:30,850 --> 00:41:33,420 - And look at what it cost him. 810 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:35,822 Look at what it cost Bobby by not taking that deal 811 00:41:35,922 --> 00:41:38,425 to divorce Kathie Durst. 812 00:41:38,525 --> 00:41:41,328 Anybody else with this kind of resources 813 00:41:41,428 --> 00:41:43,964 would have been living and laughing 814 00:41:44,064 --> 00:41:47,300 and not been a pathetic loser in an orange jumpsuit 815 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:50,070 'cause they did something really stupid and unnecessary, 816 00:41:50,103 --> 00:41:51,905 I'll tell you that. 817 00:41:52,072 --> 00:41:55,742 This man robbed me and so many people 818 00:41:55,842 --> 00:41:58,144 of the most magnanimous human being, 819 00:41:58,244 --> 00:42:01,014 one of the most incredible characters 820 00:42:01,114 --> 00:42:04,084 that ever walked the Earth. 821 00:42:04,184 --> 00:42:07,687 I said, if there's any reason-- if she's smiling at all, 822 00:42:07,787 --> 00:42:09,656 she's smiling today. 823 00:42:11,758 --> 00:42:14,427 - We're all set to have him brought to New York 824 00:42:14,527 --> 00:42:16,863 and file the murder charge against him. 825 00:42:17,030 --> 00:42:19,265 And then I got that phone call. 826 00:42:20,934 --> 00:42:24,471 - In January of 2022, 827 00:42:24,571 --> 00:42:27,040 Bob Durst died while in the custody 828 00:42:27,140 --> 00:42:29,275 of Department of Corrections. 829 00:42:29,376 --> 00:42:30,510 He didn't die from COVID. 830 00:42:30,610 --> 00:42:32,145 He had survived COVID. 831 00:42:32,245 --> 00:42:34,047 He had lots of other health issues. 832 00:42:34,114 --> 00:42:36,282 * * 833 00:42:36,383 --> 00:42:39,219 - I was surprised he didn't die before that, actually. 834 00:42:39,319 --> 00:42:43,123 But I was glad that he got to hear his fate 835 00:42:43,223 --> 00:42:45,859 and that he knew there was nowhere to go 836 00:42:45,959 --> 00:42:49,062 and that he definitely wasn't getting out alive. 837 00:42:49,162 --> 00:42:51,398 - He died a convicted murderer. 838 00:42:51,498 --> 00:42:53,667 * * 839 00:42:53,767 --> 00:42:56,670 The biggest disappointment I have in this case 840 00:42:56,770 --> 00:42:59,139 in the 22 years I've been working on it was, 841 00:42:59,239 --> 00:43:02,409 I wasn't able to give Kathie's family 842 00:43:02,509 --> 00:43:04,544 the closure they were looking for, 843 00:43:04,644 --> 00:43:06,546 to let 'em know where she was. 844 00:43:06,646 --> 00:43:09,015 And that's all I wanted out of that man, 845 00:43:09,082 --> 00:43:12,018 but he insisted on taking that to the grave with him. 846 00:43:12,085 --> 00:43:14,054 Her body has never been found. 847 00:43:14,154 --> 00:43:20,727 * * 848 00:43:20,827 --> 00:43:25,265 - I take great satisfaction, particularly in cold cases, 849 00:43:25,365 --> 00:43:29,569 in convicting people who think they got away with it... 850 00:43:29,669 --> 00:43:30,770 particularly when they're 851 00:43:30,870 --> 00:43:33,873 as arrogant as someone like Bob Durst was. 852 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:36,276 * * 853 00:43:36,376 --> 00:43:40,280 Bob was held accountable for all three of those deaths. 854 00:43:40,380 --> 00:43:42,949 * *