All . Datelines followed the case for years. The wife still missing. She disappeared without a trace. The best friend was she about to talk . She kept saying that she was on to something big. The neighbor who wound up in pieces. What kind of person can cut up another human being . And now . Robert durst needs to go to prison. Bob further did not kill susan berman. Will he walk away once more . Its entirely possible that bobby durst will get off yet again. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Tonight, Dennis Murphy with the latest on robert further, inside the long strange trip. Hes locked away in louisiana, robert further, multimillionaire, an american oddball like knew others, charged now with the firstdegree shooting death of a me fail best friend in los angeles in 2000. Finally say the many, many people who have wanted to see durst permanently in a prison jumpsuit for more than 30 years. Hes a menace to society. It could be a Death Penalty case when it goes to trial. And promises to be a showdown of some of the sharpest legal talent in the country. Its about money t. Privilege of class and just plain old hypnotic weirdness thats off the scale. Bob durst did not kill susan berman. He doesnt know who did. Theres a lot we will untangle tonight. Lets start with the most serious of charges he face, that he shot to death his long time friend writer susan berman, Law Enforcements theory, perhaps because she knew too much about what had happened to durst a wife, cathie, missing now for more than 30 years. Here at dateline weve been looking in on the ongoing robert durst investigations for the last 13 years. And tonight, youll learn that maybe some of the best evidence against him, the very case for firstdegree murder, isnt so much what he mumbled to a tv microphone as what hes written. We can say that the los angeles authorities believe a handwritten letter linked to to Susan Bermans murder was, in fact, written by the hand of robert further and postparked near the los angeles airport the day before berman was found shot to death. Maybe you were the first introduced to robert further on the multipart hbo documentary the jynx, the life and deaths of robert durst. By agreeing to take part in an hbo documentary, he kicked a sleeping dog, an investigation long smoldering in a california cold case homicide file revived. Cathie scott wrote two books about the case. He wanted to have a documentary made about himself, and it ended up being the death of robert further, so to speak. R. Reporter durst agreed to sit down for two interviews, with the documentary producers. In the second interview, he struggled to explain two document, then asked to use the bathroom. His microphone was still hot as he mulligan talking to himself. What a disaster. Reporter then he blurted out what sound like a confession. What the hell did i do . Killed them all, of course. Reporter them . Did he mean his wife, cathie, friend susan berman . The old guy in gavelson he admitted to dismembering . Whatever. It was riveting television and by the time the final segment aired last sunday, durst was already under arrest in jones. Behind bars, the wealthy heir suspected in connection to a pair of mysterious deaths under arrest tonight. Did an explosive new doemtary help build the case against him . Reporter fbi agents took him down without incident in the lobby of a marriott hotel. Its a unique set of circumstances, but our case is independent of the documentary. Our case will stand on its own. Reporter in the days that followed, durst appeared in a new orleans courtroom to waive extradition to california. But louisiana authorities also want to prosecute him on drugs and gun charges. In houston, meanwhile, agents executed a search warrant on his luxury condo and left with six boxes. It is all familiar stuff to a onetime west chester county, new york, district attorney, who tried to build a case against durst for killing his wife in 1992. There is no doubt in my mind that robert durst has committed murder. Reporter these days Jeanine Pirro is a tv judge, the host of a fox news channels justice with judge europeanine. But if she were a sitting judge. The bathroom admission to me is clearly as missible. Everything about it is voluntary. He had agreed to the interview. He had done it for some 25 hours. Hes got on a hot mic and he knows it. To most judges, it would be, you know, case closed. Reporter is it finally over for a man some people in Law Enforcement regard as a nutcase killer extraordinaire . Journalist robert drapeer, though, thinks not so fast. Hes written extensively about robert durst over the years and has seen him dance away from the flames time and again. Dursts lawyers are highly skilled and have been down this road before. In our Justice System, anyway, definitely have the wind at their face. Our years of durst coverage the stories you have been hearing and reading about all week, the missing wife the murdered friends the old man in galveston missing and tossed into the bay. At the time further was living as a crossdresser. And youll hear statements from those close to the case the people who know it the best. The missing wifes brother, Susan Bermans best friend the lead homicide detective in los angeles. So were going to turn back the clock and start at the beginning. New york in the 1970s, studio 54 and the love affair of an unlikely couple. Put your seatbelts on. Ritz going to be, as they say, a bumpy ride. When we come back, inside that very first mystery, what has happened to his wife . Bobby told everyone that his wife took off, got on a train and went into manhattan. There was no way cathie durst got on that train. For her to make a Statement Like that, it was so unusual. But if anything happened to me, bobby did it. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if youve had tb hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Ask your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. 3 f2 en el lenguaje de las its the early 70s, encountered a tenant in one of his fathers aparmtd building, 18yearold dental hygienist kathleen mccormack. The youngest of five from a middleclass irishcatholic family in long island, soon to become his girlfriend. Jim mccormack is cathies brother. The relationship is prince charming. They truly were in love. Reporter the couple married in 1973. He was shy, a little aloof, some thought, nearly tenyearsolder. She was lively, attractive, the sparkplus whod gather friends for denners. They had a snazzy penthouse apartment in new york and a pretty Little Cottage in west chester county. And they were perks to being the heir to a manhattan real estate dynasty when the velvet ropes parted to some of the most exclusive clubs in town. Studio 54, xenon, discos, the fabulous people, champagne and drug when they were labeled recreation and kathleen wasnt going to settle for being arm furniture for her rich young husband. She got her nursing degree then enrolled in medical. Life was good. Think rich hippys. The song that reminded me a lot of cathie and Bobby Bob Dylan lay lady lay lay upon me my brass bed and kate and bob had this room off the side of their ate house and there was a big brass bed and every time i think of that song, i connect the two of them because they were totally in love then. Reporter there was another love in Robert Dursts life, the platonic kind, a friend he met at grad school in l. A. Her name was susan berman. They were like loving siblings. She adored him. He adored her. Ives i can like, well, you know, these two just, theres something about them. They get it. They dig each other. She was very fond of cathie, bobbys wife. I know they socialized together a lot. Reporter and susan was there when it all started breaking apart when cracks appeared in paradise. Bobby was, by several accounts, smoking a lot of marijuana, seeming marginalized in his family business. He was financially independent. Reporter toughing it out got tougher than expected. Friends say the marriage turned violent. An investigative journalist has written extensively about durst. They had been fighting a lot. In fact, they were talking about divorce. She had pet with divorce lawyers. Then came a wintry night in january, 1982, a night that would change everything. As durst would tell it later, when his wife arrived home, they had some dinner. Then he dropped her your at the commuter station in katonah. A train bound for new york city. Bobby told everyone that his wife, you know, took off, got on a train and went into manhattan. Reporter five days later, durst walked into a Police Station on manhattans west side. He looked unemotional. He had a dog with him. At no time did he come along. Reporter durst told detectives his wife was embroiled in studies the final month of med school. In fact, a woman had called the u called the dean a couple days after cathie disappeared to say she was sick. She would be absent. Still the detective launched an investigation. We had the Emergency Services unit come and check rooftops, elevator shafts, do canvass of the building. Reporter but Kathleen Durst remained missing. Her brother says he looked aloof, lawyered up, and stuffing cathies personal belongings into the garbage. He threw out not just her things, that hurt. That hurt terribly. There were a lot of weird things that just didnt add up. There was no way cathie durst got on that train and no one heard from her, you know, she disappeared without a trace. Once more, she says cathie told a close friend something ominous the day she vanished. To her best friends at the time, if anything happens to me, bobby did it. So this isnt some happy wife going on a train ride into manhattan. Reporter as whispers turned to durst, so did the police. Even as detectives mulligan to doubt furthers version of events, one person stood by him, even had his back, a self appointed pitbull spin doctor, his close friend, susan berman. Susan, several wagons, make sure hes okay. Look out for him. Susan took charge. And susan told anyone that cared to listen that bobby had nothing to do with his wifes disappearance and detectives couldnt prove her wrong. Nypd was hitting a brick wall with a lack of cooperation from robert durst and absent of any piece of evidence. It was certainly my opinion at that time that he certainly could have had something to do with the disappearance, be but you cant go about accusing someone like that unless you can report it. Reporter so it remained for years, no body ever found, robert durst denying anything wrongdoing, the trail growing ever cold. Through the grieveing process, the shock, anger, disbelief, the depression. Reporter until around 2,000 when authorities, including new York State Police investigator, decided to take another look at cathies case. Just to hear their story about how evasive he was, how devastated the family is, you cant take it to heart and for her to fall off the face of the earth like that is so unusual. Reporter Jeanine Pirro felt it unusual and organized a team of investigators and prosecutors to do a lot more. People say what was it about that case . What was it about that case is was that this is a woman who has every reason to live. She disappears because she wanted a divorce and he didnt want to give it to her and at that point she needed to be disposed of. And he had the wherewithal all, the money the power and the smarts to get away with it. Reporter to find out more about the couples back story, investigates needed to speak to some of Robert Dursts friends, near the top of that list, his best buddy, susan berman. It was getting close to being too late to do that. Coming up, mystery number two, the pal with a flamboyant past. Susans childhood was just unbelievable. An oil painting hung of her in pigtails in the lobby of the flamingo. Who would want her dead . Probably somebody she knew and trusted. When dateline continues. Kitchen electrics. And remember youll save even more with your Friends Family savings pass plus youll pick up a little kohls cash too. This thursday through sunday. Find your yes. Kohls. 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When i spoke to susan that december, there had been an article in People Magazine about bobby durst and his being under suspicion once again for the disappearance of his wife. And i said, oh, i cant believe the papers are, you know, after bobby durst again. And she was like, yeah, isnt that just ridiculous . She was so clear about bobbys innocence regarding cathie, still what a great guy he is. There with bond seemed unbreakable. Not surprising given they had been through so much. Both lost their mothers so young. Both were formed by the complication of being raised in families that were loaded. Robert was the heir to that vast new York Real Estate fortune, his to lose to more favored younger brother. And susan . She was Something Else. The daughter of a notorious las vegas gangster who in the 1950s had owned one of the biggest joints on the strip, the flamingo hotel. Susans mooild childhood is just unbelievable. An oil painting hung of her in the pig tails in the lobby of the flamingo. She did her homework in the counting room with casino chips. Reporter investigative journalist lisa depaula said susan was a chip off the old block. Susan had an absolute sense of mob royalty and there was no one she was more loyal to than bobby. Reporter it seemed ironic the way the lala life would all come to such a story to him. It was the day before christmas, 2000, susan made plans to get with her cousin denny for family dinner. When she didnt show you. Deni picked up the phone. I had a qwizzy, sad feeling. Reporter a Police Detective picked up the phone. He told her that they had been called to susans home after neighbors found her dog running outside unleashed. Inside, bloody paw prints led to susans body in the back bedroom. Susan berman had been killed with a 9mm gun, one shot, straight to the back of the head. Im going, who deliberately went into susies house and murdered her in such a heinous, violent, deliberate way, almost as if to say, you came from a mob family. This is the way you are going out. A murder of passion, its the old i hate you, i hate you. Its an exclusive interview in 2010, the first one ever given by the lpd about the susan berman investigation, the detective told dateline at first it sure looked like a mob hit. It was one single gunshot clean to the head and thats it. Reporter but the mob theory came unglued almost immediately. Susan had written a best seller about her childhood, more an ode to her father than a damming expose that could remotely occur in mafia retaliation. She spoke about it in a 1981 today show interview. Was eight sort of pride, your father arizona big a guy he was and incredible shame that he was a pretty bad man . I feel no shame, jane. I feel a tremendous sadness that his life was so painful. The life of organized crime led in many ways to his early death and my mothers suicide and the fact i had to grow up without them. Most of susans mob buddies had been long dead. There was no reason some 2nd or 3rd generation mobster would want to knock sui shan berman off. They left evidence at the scene. So if it was a professional mob there, youd think they would clean up, do whatever. It was more plausible the guy, the killer was a break and enter guy, a common thief looking for loot. Nothing had been taken. There were no signs of a forced entry, which left another distinct possibility. It appeared to me somebody she was comfortable with. Somebody she knew, she allowed into the house. Susans cousin deni said if she left someone in, it was no stranger. She was a paranoid person. There was no way she would go to bed and leave the door unlocked or open up the door to somebody she didnt know. The more the detective thought about it, the more he came back to a growing suspicion that whoever eliminated susan must have known her pretty well, even creepily cared for her. As he studied the crime scene photo, he noticed something unusual. The victim was lying on her back. If you are shot on the back the momentum will throw you forward. Its almost like somebody laid her down, gingerly laid her down. Then a Huge Development a. Very peculiar letter arrived at the Beverly HillsPolice Station. The letter lapd is a key piece of evidence in their case against robert durst. It was postmarked the very day it was believed susan had been murdered. Someone had written out susans home address block letters and added a single word. Somebody is sending to the police, advising them that there is a body at this address, again, its a sign of compassion. Yeah, they just killed this person. They dont want them to lay there and not be found for days or weeks or whatever and decompose. Thats my feeling that the keller had a special connection, someone she knew and trusted. Someone los angeles authorities now believe is robert durst. Coming up, was susan berman keeping a secret . At the time that she died, se kept saying she was on to something big. And was she about to share it . Susan would have taken a bullet for that and maybe did. Chase freedom. The card is for the essentials. The cash back is for the fun. Chase. So you can. Do you have stuff to clean this mess of a breakroom . I have paper towels, sprays, wipes, sponges. And these floors . Disinfectant cleaner, mops and wet floor signs. How long does it take to reheat cod . We also have air fresheners. Make onbudget