Case overview
Susan Berman, a 55-year-old writer and daughter of a Las Vegas mob figure, was found shot execution-style in her Benedict Canyon home on December 24, 2000. The murder occurred one day before she was scheduled to speak with investigators reopening the case of Kathleen McCormack Durst, the missing wife of Berman’s longtime friend Robert Durst. Durst was convicted of Berman’s murder in September 2021, more than two decades after her death.
The victim and her final days
Susan Berman grew up in Las Vegas as the daughter of David Berman, a casino operator with ties to organized crime. After her father’s death in 1957, she moved to California, attended UCLA, and built a career as a journalist and author. Her 1981 memoir, “Easy Street,” detailed her upbringing in the world of mob-connected casino owners.
Berman maintained a close friendship with Robert Durst, a New York real estate heir whom she met at UCLA in the 1960s. Durst provided Berman with financial support over the years, including paying her rent when she faced financial difficulties.
In mid-December 2000, investigators from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office in New York contacted Berman about Kathleen Durst’s 1982 disappearance. Kathleen had vanished after a weekend at the couple’s South Salem, New York, home. Authorities wanted to question Berman about statements she had made to reporters and her knowledge of events surrounding the disappearance.
Berman agreed to an interview scheduled for December 24. She never made it.
Discovery of the body
On December 23, 2000, neighbors noticed that Berman’s Fox terrier, Apple, was barking persistently and scratching at the door of her home on Humboldt Street in Benedict Canyon. The following day, when Berman had not responded to phone calls, a neighbor contacted the building manager, who entered the residence.
Berman was found on her bedroom floor, shot once in the back of the head at close range. There were no signs of forced entry, no evidence of robbery, and no indication of a struggle. Her body was positioned face down, and investigators noted that she appeared to have been caught off guard.
The Los Angeles Police Department opened a homicide investigation. Detectives found no forensic evidence at the scene that pointed to a specific suspect. The murder weapon was never recovered.
The cadaver note
Four days before Berman’s body was discovered, the Beverly Hills Police Department received an anonymous letter postmarked from Beverly Hills. The envelope contained a single piece of paper with block lettering that read “CADAVER” and provided Berman’s address.
The letter indicated that the sender had knowledge of the murder and wanted the body to be discovered. Investigators preserved the note as evidence. The handwriting became central to the case years later.
Robert Durst and investigative focus
Within days of the murder, detectives learned about Berman’s planned interview with Westchester County prosecutors. The timing suggested that her death might be connected to what she knew about Kathleen Durst’s disappearance. Attention turned to Robert Durst, who had publicly denied involvement in his wife’s case but had hired defense attorneys after authorities began revisiting the investigation.
Durst acknowledged his friendship with Berman and admitted to providing her with financial assistance. He claimed he was in Northern California at the time of her death, but investigators were unable to confirm a solid alibi. Phone records showed that Durst had called Berman shortly before her murder.
Durst became a person of interest, but no charges were filed. The case went cold for years due to lack of physical evidence.
The HBO documentary and arrest
In 2010, filmmaker Andrew Jarecki began working on a feature film about the Durst family. During research, Jarecki interviewed Robert Durst and eventually shifted the project into a documentary series. “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” aired on HBO in early 2015.
The final episode included audio recordings in which Durst appeared to make incriminating statements. In one hot mic moment captured while he was alone in a bathroom, Durst muttered, “What did I do? Killed them all, of course.” Though Durst later disputed the context and editing of the remark, it drew widespread attention.
The documentary also featured a handwriting comparison between the cadaver note sent to police in 2000 and a letter Durst had written to Berman in 1999. Both envelopes displayed the same misspelling of Beverly Hills as “Beverley.”
On March 14, 2015, one day before the final episode aired, Durst was arrested in New Orleans on a warrant for the murder of Susan Berman. He was found in possession of a firearm, significant amounts of cash, a latex mask, and fake identification.
Trial and conviction
Durst’s trial began in March 2020 in Los Angeles Superior Court but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings resumed in May 2021. Prosecutors argued that Durst killed Berman to prevent her from revealing what she knew about Kathleen’s disappearance. The state presented the cadaver note as key evidence, asserting that only the killer would have sent it and that the handwriting matched Durst’s.
The defense contended that the evidence was circumstantial and that the note’s authorship was not definitively proven. Durst’s legal team also raised questions about the editing and presentation of material in “The Jinx.”
Durst testified in his own defense, acknowledging that he had written the cadaver note but denying that he killed Berman. He claimed he found her body, panicked, and sent the anonymous letter to ensure she would be discovered. He offered no explanation for why he did not contact authorities directly.
On September 17, 2021, a jury convicted Robert Durst of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Durst died in custody on January 10, 2022, at age 78.
Unanswered elements
Despite the conviction, questions remain about what Susan Berman knew and whether she played a role in covering up details of Kathleen Durst’s disappearance. Some investigators believe Berman provided Durst with an alibi in 1982 by impersonating Kathleen in a phone call to the missing woman’s medical school. Berman never confirmed or denied this allegation publicly.
Kathleen Durst’s body has never been found, and her case remains officially open. In 2021, Robert Durst was charged with her murder in Westchester County, but those proceedings were halted following his death.
The murder of Susan Berman remains a case shaped by timing, loyalty, and the question of what she was prepared to say before she was silenced.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” (HBO)
- Book: “A Deadly Secret” by Matt Birkbeck
- Book: “Easy Street” by Susan Berman
