Uncovering Robert Durst’s Net Worth: From His Real Estate Empire to Legal Battles Before His Death

robert durst net worth

What was Robert Durst’s net worth?? Robert Durst, a real estate heir, and suspected serial killer passed away in detention on January 10, 2021, according to reports. On October 14, 2021, he was sentenced to life for murdering his friend Susan Berman in 2000. After three days, a five-month jury convicted Durst of first-degree murder in September 2021.

With the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen McCormack, Durst was thought to have a criminal past. The prior owner of the health food company came from a wealthy family, but how much was he actually worth?

What Was Robert Durst’s Net Worth?

robert durst net worth

By the time of his passing in 2022, Robert Durst, a convicted murderer, and real estate scion had a net worth of $65 million as per celebritynetworth. With the mysterious disappearance of his wife Kathleen in 1982, he first came to public attention.

He later rose to infamy by killing his friend Susan Berman and his next-door neighbor Morris Black. Durst served the rest of his life in prison at the Twin Towers Correctional Complex in Los Angeles. When he was 78 years old and incarcerated at a California Department of Prisons medical facility, Robert Durst passed away on January 10, 2022.

Durst was the brother of billionaire commercial developer Douglas Durst and the son of New York real estate tycoon Seymour Durst. The 2014 HBO documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” centers on Durst.

Net Worth: $65 Million
Age: 78 (dead)
Born: April 12, 1943
Gender: Male
Height: 1.68 m
Country of Origin: United States of America
Source of Wealth: American real estate heir
Last Updated: 17 March 2023

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Early Years and Professional Beginnings

Robert Durst was raised in Scarsdale after being born in New York City, New York, on April 12, 1943. He is the oldest of Bernice and Seymour’s four children; his siblings are Tommy, Douglas, and Wendy. Durst’s mother passed away when he was seven years old after falling from their house’s roof.

Durst attended Scarsdale High School as a teenager. Afterward, he enrolled at Lehigh University, where he played lacrosse for the varsity team and served as the business manager of the student newspaper. In 1965, he earned his degree and then enrolled in UCLA’s Ph.D. program. He eventually dropped out, though, and went back to New York in 1969.

Durst decided against working with his father at the Durst Organization and instead established a little grocery business in Vermont named All Good Things. A few years later, after his father had persuaded him to join his company, he closed the business.

Douglas was chosen by Durst’s father to take over the business as a result of Durst’s irresponsible behavior. Durst eventually filed a lawsuit to claim his inheritance because he believed he had a right to be the heir.

The Wife, Kathleen McCormack’s Disappearance

robert durst net worth

In 1971, Durst got to know Kathleen McCormack, a dental hygienist. The two had moved in together by the following year, first in Manhattan and then at Durst’s house in Vermont. They were wed in April 1973. Early in 1982, about nine years later, McCormack vanished without a trace.

After an altercation between her and Durst, Durst asserted that he had put McCormack on a commuter train before returning home and falling asleep. Gilberte Najamy, a friend of McCormack’s, had planned to meet her at a bar but became worried when she failed to appear.

Durst reported a missing person later on in the week. Three weeks later, the building’s superintendent discovered McCormack’s belongings in the garbage compactor at their flat.

McCormack had requested a $250,000 divorce settlement from Durst before she vanished; instead, Durst canceled her credit card, took her name out of their joint bank account, and declined to cover her medical school tuition. Moreover, McCormack received medical attention at a hospital for alleged husband-related face bruises.

Durst divorced his wife while alleging spousal abandonment eight years after she vanished. Afterward, McCormack’s mother tried to file a lawsuit against Durst for killing her daughter and denying them the opportunity to bury her.

The disappearance was classed as a homicide in May 2021 following a revived criminal investigation and further lawsuits. Durst was formally charged with murder in October.

Susan Berman’s Murder and Life Sentence

robert durst net worth

Susan Berman, a friend of Durst’s, was found dead in her Los Angeles home on Christmas Eve of 2000. Previously, Berman had contributed to the development of Durst’s official alibi for his wife’s disappearance.

It was known that Durst had traveled to California a few days prior to the murder and had returned to New York the previous evening. According to investigative journalist Cathy Scott, Durst killed Berman because she knew too much about McCormack’s abduction.

In March 2015, FBI agents detained Durst. After multiple setbacks, retrials, and hospitalizations allegedly caused by Durst’s stated medical issues, Durst was found guilty of killing Berman in the first degree in September 2021. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of release in October. After testing positive Durst soon developed COVID-19 and was put on a ventilator.

Morris Black’s Death

robert durst net worth

Durst was detained in Galveston, Texas in October 2001 when body parts belonging to his neighbor Morris Black were discovered floating in the bay. Two firearms, marijuana, $37,000 in cash, Black’s driver’s license, and directions to Gilberte Najamy’s house were discovered by the police when they searched Durst’s rented car. In 2003, Durst faced a murder trial for the death of Black.

He said that he accidentally murdered Black in a scuffle over a firearm and that it was in self-defense. He also acknowledged severing Black’s body into pieces and discarding the pieces in Galveston Bay. Yet because Black’s head was never found, the jury decided to exonerate Durst due to a dearth of forensic evidence.

Durst entered a guilty plea to two charges of bail jumping and one count of tampering with evidence in December 2004. After receiving a five-year sentence that was later reduced to three years, he was granted parole in 2005. Soon later, when he broke the terms of his parole, he was sent back to jail until being released in 2006 once more.

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In “The Jinx”

robert durst net worth

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, a six-part HBO documentary, was about Durst in 2015. The movie covered the circumstantial evidence connecting Durst to Berman’s slaying as well as McCormack’s abduction and Black’s murder.

Contrary to the counsel of his lawyers and his wife Deborah Charatan, Durst gave numerous interviews for the movie and provided the producer full access to his personal files. When Durst appears to think the documentary is over and he is no longer being filmed, his microphone picks up confessions to his killings.

Parag Nanda
Parag Nanda is a Content Writer, who specializes in covering the latest gossip and news about celebrities. With a keen interest in the entertainment industry, he keeps his finger on the pulse of the latest happenings in the world of celebrities. In addition to his passion for entertainment, he is also a sports enthusiast and enjoys listening to music in his free time. With a unique perspective and a knack for uncovering the juiciest details, Parag's writing is a must-read for anyone interested in the lives of celebrities.