Robert Durst Net Worth

Robert Alan Durst was an American businessman and real estate scion. According to Forbes estimates, he is from a wealthy family in the US. The Durst family’s net worth is estimated to be $8.1 billion.

Durst was a convicted murderer serving a life sentence and several other charges. However, on 10th January 2022, he died during a cardiac arrest while in prison. He was receiving treatment at California Health Care Facility. He first became a person of interest in 1982 due to the unresolved disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack.

He later became the infamous killer of Susan Berman, his friend, and his neighbor, Morris Black. When Durst died, he was locked up at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, sentenced to life without parole. 

What is Robert Durst Net Worth?

As of January 2022, Rober Durst’s net worth was $65 million, according to celebrity net worth. There are speculations that this amount could have been higher, maybe around $100 million. However, Robert Durst had to spend massive amounts handling his cases with the authorities, which resulted in this estimate.

He was the subject of the 2014 HBO documentary, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.” Robert Durst’s family was estimated to have a net worth of $8.1 billion and ranked at position 47 of the richest families in the United States in 2020. 

The Durst family owns over 16 million square feet of real estate in Philadelphia and New York. Furthermore, they also have a 10% stake in One World Trade Center. Joseph Durst, Robert’s grandfather, had migrated from Poland to the US and 12 years later founded the Durst Organization.

In 1974, he died and his son, Seymour Durst, Robert Durst’s father, took over the organization, focusing mainly on building skyscrapers in New York. Today, Robert’s younger brother, Douglas, and their nephew, Jody, now run the company. In 2006, Douglas Durst and Jody bought all Robert Durst’s company shares for $65 million.

Who is Robert Durst?

Robert Alan Durst was born to a family of six on 12th April 1943 in New York City. He is the firstborn. Robert Durst grew up with his siblings in Scarsdale, New York, and attended Scarsdale High School.

He later proceeded to Lehigh University and graduated in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. As the firstborn child of Bernice and Seymour Durst, Rober Durst was automatically the heir of the fortune until he was convicted and his little brother had to take over the family business.

His mother, Bernice Durst, died from a fall from their roof; at that time, Robert Durst was seven years old. After his graduation, Robert Durst enrolled in a doctoral program at UCLA. However, he didn’t finish, dropped out, and in 1969, he returned to New York.

Robert Durst didn’t like the idea of working for his father, Seymour, and thus he opened All Good Things in Vermont, a small food store. A few years into his small business, he closed after his father convinced him to return to the family’s real estate business.

However, his father wasn’t impressed with his inappropriate behavior and decided to appoint his brother, Douglas, as the company’s heir. Robert wasn’t happy with his father’s decision and decided to sue for his share of the family’s organization.

Trouble Begins for Robert Durst

The Disappearance of Kathleen McCormack

Durst married his first wife, Kathie, in 1973, and a decade later, Durst’s wife mysteriously disappeared. Later, Rober filed a missing person report; a superintendent suspiciously found Kathleen’s possessions in the building’s trash compactor.

Eight years later, there isn’t any luck finding Kathleen, and Rober files for divorce claiming spousal abandonment. MacCormack’s mother later sued Robert, and after investigations, the disappearance was reclassified as murder in May 2021. In October of the same year, Rober was charged with her murder.

Murder of Susan Berman

Robert Durst’s friend Susan Berman was found murdered in her Beverly Hills home, Los Angeles, shot in the back of her head. Robert was arrested for killing Susan Berman because she knew a lot about Kathleen’s disappearance.

In March 2015, Robert Durst was arrested, and in September 2021, he was convicted for the first-degree murder of his friend Susan Berman. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in October 2021. However, shortly after, he tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be put on a ventilator.

Murder of Morris Black

In October 2001, Rober Durst was arrested again in Galveston, Texas. This was after the police discovered body parts belonging to Black, his neighbor, floating in the bay. After a police search, they discovered two guns in his house and car, $37,000 in cash, marijuana, directions to Gilberte Najamy’s home, and Black’s driver’s license.

In 2003, Robert Durst faced trial for Black’s murder. He alleged it was self-defense and that he had inadvertently killed Morris Black while struggling over a pistol. He admitted dismembering Black’s body and dumping his remains in Galveston Bay. However, the head was never found, which led to a lack of forensics, making the jury acquaint Robert.

Other Crimes

In December 2004, he pleaded guilty to two counts of bail jumping and one count of evidence tampering. He got a five-year sentence, which was reduced to three. He was paroled in 2005, but he violated the terms of his parole, returned to prison, and was later released in 2006.

The Jinx

In 2015, HBO released a documentary in which Robert Durst was the subject. The six-part documentary was called “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.” The film outlined details linking Robert to Kathleen’s disappearance, Berman’s and Black’s murder.

Robert gave myriad interviews in the film, countering his wife, Deborah Charatan, and attorney Robert Adams. He also allowed HBO unlimited access to his records. At the documentary’s end, Robert believed he wasn’t being recorded, and his microphone picked him up, mumbling admissions about these murders.

Fun Facts About Robert Durst

Apart from his strange lifestyle, Robert has some exciting things that will leave you wondering if this man was a troubled individual or not.

• He never seemed concerned about his wife, Kathleen’s disappearance. She was about to divorce him when he cut off all her credit cards and removed her name from their joint account. Kathleen had also reported to the hospital with several bruises on her face. Additionally, it took Rober four days to file a missing person’s report.
• Robert never liked his younger brother. When talking to The New York Times, commercial developer Douglas Durst revealed that their enmity extended to keeping weapons.
• Murder, evidence tampering, and jumping bail arent his only offenses. He had been arrested for shoplifting in a supermarket. He was wearing a woman’s wig at the time.
• He was arrested on several accounts for exposing himself and urinating publicly. On one account, he was caught urinating on a candy rack at a Houston CVS. Some time back, while still in his father’s organization, he also urinated in an uncle’s wastebasket.

Robert Durst FAQs

What happened to Robert Durst’s money? 

His current wife, Debrah Lee Charastan, is the viable inheritor of the deceased fortune. She will also become the executor of all his estates. However, Kathleen Durst’s family is also out to seek part of his fortune.

What was Robert Durst’s net worth at the time of his death?

As of January 2022, Robert Durst’s net worth was estimated to be $65 million.

Did Robert Durst have any children?

The convicted murderer had two marriages and numerous affairs but never had children. 

Robert Durst FAQs