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'The Jinx - The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst' on HBO (1 Viewer)

Ken H

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Sundays at 8pm ET on HBO


An oddly fascinating HBO series based on real events, presented in a very stylish wrapper; 'The Jinx' is about three untimely deaths all related to one individual.


The individual is 72 year old New Yorker Robert Durst. A part of the story's appeal is the fact he is very rich. The Durst family are 3rd generation NYC real estate moguls with properties worth somewhere around $4.4 Billion USD. Mr Durst cashed out of the family trust with $65 million in 2006. Although he no longer has any connection to the family business, he still dabbles in NYC real estate, last year selling properties he paid $8.65 Million in 2011 for $21.15 Million.


From HBO.com

From Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling (the Oscar® nominees behind Capturing the Friedmans ), comes The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, a six-part examination of the reclusive millionaire at the heart of three killings spanning four decades. Robert Durst, the scion of a New York real estate empire, has long been a suspect in the notorious 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathie. Further suspicion was raised with the unsolved killing of his confidante, Susan Berman, thought to be a key witness in the investigation into Kathie's disappearance in 2000, as well as the subsequent killing and dismemberment of a neighbor in Galveston, Texas. Durst has consistently maintained his innocence and remains a free man today.


A six chapter limited series, chapter 4 aired last night. Highly recommended.


http://www.thejinxhbo.com/
 

JohnMor

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People at the office were just talking about this today. They said it was fascinating. I wish I got HBO.
 

Aaron Silverman

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I don't get HBO, but have seen a ton of ads for this on other channels. I will check it out on disc when the time comes.
 

Ken H

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TonyD said:
Is this a documentary?
Yes, but not in a conventional sense. Think of crime documentaries as seen on ID channel, or Nazis on History Channel, or UFO programs on Science Channel, but produced like a major motion picture with all the frills; great music, great cinematography, etc.


The program includes highly stylized reenactments of events that occurred regarding the three people missing or killed, interspersed with interviews with family and personal friends, law enforcement officials, defense lawyers, media reporters, actual video footage of the trial, and more.


The major draw of course is the interviews the director conducts with Durst himself.


One of the more interesting things for me, is that if you didn't know this stuff actually happened, you'd never believe it. It's just too bizarre.
 

Ken H

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A little more on Durst:


Two Recent Skirmishes With The Law


- In 2012 and 2013 Durst was charged with trespassing while walking along 43rd Street in NYC, in front of townhouses owned by his brother Douglas and other Durst family members. In December 2014 he was found not guilty of the charges. In addition, Judge Ann E. Scherzer of Manhattan Criminal Court also vacated 13 orders of protection obtained by members of his family. She noted that Mr. Durst was now “on notice” to avoid his family’s properties. Contrary to statements in court by his lawyer Steven M. Rabinowitz, Durst admitted in an interview that he knew exactly which houses on 43rd Street were owned by his family, claiming his father, Seymour Durst, had once put him in charge of managing those buildings.


- In July 2014, Durst was arrested after turning himself in to police following an incident at a Houston CVS Pharmacy in which he allegedly exposed himself and urinated on a rack of candy. He then left the store and casually walked down the street. Durst was charged with criminal mischief and in December 2014 pleaded nolo contendere to the charge, was fined $500 and restitution. His defense attorney was Chip Lewis, one of the three lawyers who defended him in his 2003 murder trial.




In January 2015, Durst's younger brother Douglas, who runs the Durst Organization, gave the New York Times an interview and was quoted as saying: “There’s no doubt in my mind that if he had the opportunity to kill me, he would,”


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/nyregion/series-on-troubled-scion-of-durst-real-estate-family-has-critic-his-brother.html?_r=0
 

Ken H

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A blockbuster revelation last night in Episode 5 of 'The Jinx', leading to real life repercussions.


The program shows Susan Berman's stepson Sareb Kaufman recently finding a 1999 letter to her from Durst, prior to her execution style death in 2000. The letter is then compared to the anonymous letter received by the Beverly Hills Police Department stating a cadaver was at Berman’s home. The anonymous letter was postmarked Dec. 23, 2000, the day California officials believed Berman's murder occurred.


The city of the address on both envelopes is Beverly Hills, but both are spelled wrong, exactly the same - "Beverley Hills", and the block printing style used on both envelopes looks identical. The revelation that Durst looks to be the author of both - at the very least meaning he was aware of Berman's death before anyone else, impacts the stepson so much he begins to shudder, and then begins to cry.


Fast forward to today's news. The New York Times reported the DA in Los Angeles reopened the case on Berman's killing and is attempting to connect it to the 1982 case of his missing wife in New York. Authorities from Los Angeles, the FBI, and New York State Police have recently spoke with four individuals regarding the case. The New York State Police and Westchester County, NY DA say the disappearance of Durst's first wife Kathie is an ongoing case.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/09/nyregion/as-the-jinx-airs-inquiry-into-death-of-dursts-friend-is-said-to-be-reopened.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1
 

Ken H

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And the hits just keep on coming.


From The New York Times


Robert Durst, Subject of ‘The Jinx’ on HBO, Is Arrested on Murder Charge



By ASHLEY SOUTHALL and CHARLES V. BAGLI

MARCH 15, 2015

durstarrestpic.jpg


Booking photo of Robert Durst, from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Department



Robert A. Durst, the scion of a New York real estate family, was arraigned on Sunday morning in New Orleans after being arrested on first-degree murder charges in a killing 15 years ago in Los Angeles, law enforcement officials said.


For years, questions have swirled around Mr. Durst about the unsolved killing of a close friend in Los Angeles in 2000, and about his first wife’s disappearance in 1982, and the shooting and dismemberment of a Texas neighbor in 2001.


Mr. Durst is the subject of an HBO documentary series examining the unsolved killings of the friend, Susan Berman, and the ex-wife, Kathleen Durst. The final episode of the documentary, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” was scheduled to air on Sunday night.


Mr. Durst’s lawyer, Chip B. Lewis, said in a telephone interview that the arrest of his client on Saturday, in the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, was on murder charges in the death of Ms. Berman.


Last week, Mr. Durst said in a telephone interview that he did not have the “faintest idea” who killed Ms. Berman, nor did he know what happened to his first wife, who has been declared legally dead. Speaking in a gravelly monotone, he did say that he felt “complicit” in the disintegration of their marriage and the violent episodes that accompanied it.


The Los Angeles district attorney recently reopened an investigation into Ms. Berman’s death, and is tying it to the case of Mr. Durst’s missing wife in New York. Mr. Durst went on trial in 2001 for the murder of the Texas neighbor, Morris Black. A jury found him not guilty, though Mr. Durst admitted having dismembered Mr. Black’s body.


On Sunday morning, in an appearance at the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Mr. Durst was arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder. He appeared in a nearly empty courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit. He was accompanied by two lawyers; four F.B.I. agents were also present.


Judge Juana Lombard ordered him held without bond and an extradition was scheduled for Monday morning. Mr. Lewis said earlier on Sunday that Mr. Durst would waive extradition.


“We’re waiving extradition so that we can get back to Los Angeles so that we can get back and fight the charges,” Mr. Lewis said. The details of the warrant were not released on Sunday morning. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the warrant was issued by the Los Angeles Police Department. Officials from that police agency did not immediately return calls for comment.


Mr. Durst, 71, was arrested by deputies from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and booked just before 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to an online record of his arrest. He was being held without bond.


A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that F.B.I. agents participated in the arrest.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/nyregion/robert-durst-subject-of-hbo-documentary-on-unsolved-killings-is-arrested.html



The 6th and final episode of “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” airs tonight on HBO at 8pm ET.


If I were a betting man I'd wager HBO and Jarecki and Smerling are feverishly discussing the sequel as we speak.
 

TravisR

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Translation: After 15 years of Durst's vast wealth keeping the authorities from bothering him, HBO's documentary series has shined enough light and sufficiently embarrassed the Los Angeles DA's office into finally acting.
 

Ken H

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Durst's attorney Chip Lewis gave an interview today to the local ABC TV affiliate in Houston. TX, where Durst has a residence. Highlights of the interview:

  • It was not unusual for Durst to be in New Orleans.
  • The FBI made the arrest without incident.
  • Durst waived extradition to get back to LA as soon as possible to expedite the process; "to fight the charges".
  • There was some kind of "bastardized" agreement with the filmmakers regarding the arrest and it's being made public by them, as they were sharing info with law enforcement authorities.
  • Several search warrants were executed this past week on Durst, in various locations.
  • One of the LA prosecutors was in New Orleans for the arrest.
  • He would not surprised if the arrest footage shows up on the HBO finale tonight.

http://abc13.com/news/robert-durst-arrested-on-murder-charges/558767/




NBC News reported:
  • Sources said Durst was in the lobby, mumbling, when he was arrested, and had been registered under a false name with a fake ID, having paid for the room in cash.
  • Durst's brother, Douglas, who now runs the family real-estate empire, released a statement Sunday afternoon 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."
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/infamous-murder-suspect-robert-durst-arrested-new-orleans-n323766
 

David_B_K

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I watched episodes 2-5 after hearing an interview with the judge in the Galveston case commenting on his recent arrest. I don't think Durst will ever be convicted of anything if they couldn't convict him in Galveston. Juries today are too stupid and cowardly.
 

Ken H

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Chapter Six


Present day: Nearly a decade has passed since the filmmakers began investigating Robert Durst and his alleged crimes. They have spoken to more than 100 participants in Robert's story, including family, friends, police, lawyers, jurors and journalists in an attempt to get at the truth.

The filmmakers struggle to get Durst back to the interview table. Although Durst agreed to meet a second time, when push comes to shove, he consistently declines.

Filmmakers revisit the comparison of a letter from Durst to Susan Berman in March of 1999 and the anonymous letter ('The Cadaver Note') sent to the Beverly Hills Police when Berman was killed in December 2000. They have a forensic handwriting analysis done with multiple examples from publicly available documents hand written by Durst. The analysis concludes the handwriting "tics are unique to one person and only one person" - meaning both letters were written by Durst.

Then, in 2013, Durst was arrested for trespassing at his brother Douglas's home in NYC. In 2014, Durst's lawyers contacted the filmmakers to obtain previous video footage of Durst near the same location, to assist in his defense. The filmmakers felt this gave them 'leverage' in their quest to get the second interview, and they were correct as Durst finally agrees to sit down with them again.


The filmmakers labor over how to approach the subject of the handwriting analysis with Durst.


As the interview begins, Jarecki begins by showing Durst old photographs of his first wife Kathie and Susan Berman. He then asks about the printed letterhead address on a letter from Durst to Berman, and Durst confirms it was his old office address. Jarecki shows Durst the envelope the letter came in, with the same printed address, and Durst confirms it was from him. Jarecki then confronts Durst with The Cadaver Note. Durst says he sees the similarities in the block printing and spelling error, says they are very similar, says he did write the Berman letter, but he did not write The Cadaver Note. Jarecki tells Durst "he is searching for a way to figure out how you didn't write The Cadaver Note." Durst likings the block lettering on the two documents to typewriter printing being the same, but when asked he can't tell them apart - the address on the envelope to Berman which he wrote and address on The Cadaver Note envelope which the killer supposedly wrote - thus conceding the point to Jarecki. Oddly, during the conversion Durst is having indigestion and gas, and burps a number of times, appearing if he is having a hard time keeping something down.

Jarecki concludes the interview. Durst says he's going to use the rest room. While inside, his microphone is still hot (turned on and functioning) and he is unwittingly being recorded, talking to himself. Here's what Durst said verbatim, after which the chapter and series conclude, as the scene fades to black:

"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 says it was over two years after the interview before the filmmakers 'discovered' the restroom conversion audio recording that Durst had with himself; apparently they had it and didn't know it. This timeline is being questioned by a number of other media sources, along with the filmmakers motives, since Durst's Saturday arrest before the Sunday HBO series finale seems like a little bit too much of a coincidence. The filmmakers readily admit they have been working with law enforcement authorities.


Sources familiar with the case say authorities were forced to arrest Durst before the final episode aired, as they already believed he was planning to leave the country and go to Cuba, a country without an extradition agreement with the US. It was also believed Durst was in the process of moving large amounts of his funds offshore for future use.


I've been watching TV as an adult for over 45 years. Generally speaking I prefer live television, but I've never seen anything that surpasses The Jinx for a compelling, riveting television experience.
 

David_B_K

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Posted by Ken H: I've been watching TV as an adult for over 45 years. Generally speaking I prefer live television, but I've never seen anything that surpasses The Jinx for a compelling, riveting television experience.

This is one of those stories that would seem too far-fetched to be believable if it were fiction.
 

Richard Gallagher

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I've been fascinated by this story in part because my home town is Katonah, N.Y., where Durst claims that he dropped his wife off at the train station the night that she was last seen alive. I know people in Katonah who had met Durst, his wife, and Durst's brother (who still has a house in Katonah).


I expect that Durst is going to have to admit that he wrote the cadaver note, but he will come up with an excuse similar to the one which he used to explain the dismemberment of Morris Black. Something along the lines of, "I drove down to L.A. to see Susan and when i got there she was already dead. I didn't call the police because I knew that they would suspect me. But I didn't want her body to rot there, so I wrote the note, mailed it and drove back to San Francisco."
 

Aaron Silverman

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David_B_K said:
This is one of those stories that would seem too far-fetched to be believable if it were fiction.

You can say that again!


I didn't know that the movie All Good Things was based on this story. Apparently there's a scene in it that eerily resembles the bathroom "confession."
 

Josh Steinberg

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I'm not sure if I'm the only one reacting this way, but I thought the NY Times interview with Jarecki was a little unsettling, particularly how he declined to answer questions about the timelines of the interview in the film.

The film makes it appear that Durst came back to do a second interview following his 2013 arrest (they make it seem that the arrest is used as leverage to get Durst to agree), and then after that second interview, went into the bathroom where the microphone picked up his mumbling admissions.

But from the article and interview with Jarecki, the Times states the second interview happened in April 2012. Durst was arrested for trespassing in 2013. If that is true, then the editing of the final episode is very deceptive. Jarecki. Here's the end of the exchange about the timing where the interviewer asks for the third time about the timing:

"Q: I’m just trying to clarify if the arrest for being on Douglas Durst’s property happened after the second interview.

Jarecki: Yeah, I think I’ve got to get back to you with a proper response on that."

The whole exchange is weirdly evasive. I think he got caught messing up the chronology to enhance the drama.

I liked a lot of the series, but in the last couple episodes as the focus seems to shift more to the filmmakers than Durst, I think it goes a little bit off the rails. I wish the filmmakers hadn't inserted themselves so much into the story. For a documentary with a stated goal by the filmmakers of getting some kind of justice, you would think there would have been some more concern about not using the kind of editing they used in the last episode which unnecessarily opens up questions and creates confusion about the accuracy of what's already been shown.
 

Richard Gallagher

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Ken H

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Today's update, naturally with more unexpected and bizarre news.


- Durst was in a New Orleans courtroom this morning. He waived his right to fight extradition to Los Angeles during an appearance before a New Orleans Magistrate Court. This was expected.


- Durst's extradition could be delayed, as on Monday evening, he was charged by Louisiana State Police on one count of a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and a second of possession of a firearm with a controlled substance. The LA County District Attorney's Office commented he'll be brought back to Los Angeles for arraignment at a future date. When might that be?


- As already noted, quite a bit of attention is being paid to the apparent timeline discrepancy of the second interview and when Durst was arrested for trespassing in April 2013, with the filmmakers saying two years passed between the second interview and when they became aware of Durst's bathroom conversation with himself. After seeming to dodge the issue in the New York Times article by Bruce Fretts from an interview with him this morning, by noon today director Andrew Jarecki had canceled all of his interviews, including a number of scheduled TV appearances. I expect we'll hear a lot more about this, and sincerely hope the filmmakers keep Brian Williams's recent experiences in mind when addressing this issue. Here's a link to Morning After's take on it: http://morningafter.gawker.com/what-happened-between-robert-dursts-confession-and-his-1691626885


- Former Westchester County DA Jeanine Pirro was the host of a special edition of 'Justice with Judge Jeanine' on Fox News Channel last night, after Episode Six aired. Her guests included New York Times reporter Charles V. Bagli, Kathie Durst's brother Jim McCormack, Lisa DePaulo of Bloomberg.com and Durst attorney Chip Lewis in a phone interview. Net net, all except Mr. Lewis, as expected, seemed as astounded as the rest of us with the content in Episode Six. In other Pirro news, Cody Cazalas, a detective with the Sheriff's Department in Galveston, TX who was involved in the investigation of Durst for the Morris Black murder in 2001 and was interviewed in The Jinx, may be involved with Pirro. They were seen together on Facebook, this January the two were at the birthday party Geraldo Rivera threw for his wife Erika, and later in January Pirro tweeted a flick of them at a Jinx premiere. Oh boy; murders make strange bedfellows.


- In announcing on Monday that Durst had been charged with first-degree murder, the Los Angeles County district attorney said that the charge included the special circumstances of murder of a witness, lying in wait and gun-use allegations. “The capital murder charge makes Durst eligible for the death penalty,” the statement said. “Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek death.” I'll bet.


- A source who requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, previously told The LA Times that the documentary had played a role in Durst's arrest. This is contrary to the statement LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese made today, when he rejected the idea that the arrest was somehow related to The Jinx - “We based our actions on the investigation and the evidence. We didn’t base anything we did on the HBO series. The arrest was made as a result of the investigative efforts and at a time that we believe it was needed.” In other words, we didn't think we could arrest him in Havana....


- Law enforcement sources in LA said that the Los Angeles County district attorney's office reviewed the case against Durst several years ago but decided against filing charges. Among their concerns was that investigators could not prove that Durst was in Los Angeles at the time of the killing, and that police could not connect Durst to the murder weapon. A previous forensic examination of the cadaver note was also inconclusive.


- My speculation today centers around the totality of evidence the LA prosecutors office has. What do they have that makes them think they can convict Durst? Especially after what happened in 2003 in Texas. The lead prosecutor will be John Lewin, a cold case specialist who has used DNA evidence in similar circumstances to gain convictions. Of course there is always the possibility new witnesses may come forward. Whatever; they better have something beyond what is public knowledge.


- The two things The Jinx brought to light are the handwriting match, and the bathroom conversation. Here's why they will not bring Durst to justice.


First, as noted above, it will be straight forward for Durst's defense team to claim that Durst did indeed pen 'The Cadaver Note'. This is the exact same approach they used in his Morris Black murder defense - put Durst on the stand and admit the unthinkable. They can say Durst went to visit Berman at her home and found her dead. In light of his notorious reputation, he decided to leave but wanted to have authorities find his friend Susan as soon as possible, so he wrote the note.


Second, everything in the bathroom conversation that Durst said can be viewed from a 3rd person perspective. Meaning he was saying what he thought others would think and say after seeing the interview. Here are a few examples:

"There it is. You're caught" - What others will think after seeing The Jinx.

"You're right, of course" - Admitting to himself that Chip Lewis was right about the interviews being a bad idea.

"And the burping. I'm having difficulty with the question." - How others will perceive his physical reaction to being asked about the handwriting match.
"What the hell did I do?" - These interviews may put me in jail for a long, long time. Or worse.
"Killed them all. Of course." - What anyone watching would think.



The hits just keep on coming.
 

Ken H

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Richard Gallagher said:
I was under the impression that there were three interviews of Durst, but I could be mistaken. This article says that Durst agreed to "a series of interviews" with Jarecki. I wouldn't call two interviews a series. If it were two, I would say that he agreed to two interviews.
Just two.
 

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