Billionaire real estate scion and long suspected serial killer recently convicted in his friend's murder, Robert Durst, has died.
The American property heir hit the headlines when he unwittingly confessed in an HBO crime documentary series about himself.
Durst's lawyer, Chip Lewis, confirmed he died at the San Joaquin General Hospital while in the custody of the California Department of Corrections.
He said: “We understand that his death was due to natural causes associated with the litany of medical issues we had repeatedly reported to the court over the last couple of years. We will issue no further statements and will not entertain any questions out of respect.”
His health had been failing for some time.
Late last year he was placed on a ventilator after testing positive for COVID-19. He had also battled bladder cancer.
Durst was sentenced to life in prison in October for the execution-style killing of his longtime confidant Susan Berman, and soon after he was indicted for the 1982 murder of his wife, Kathleen Durst.
The New York native was born into one of New York’s wealthiest families but became best known over the disappearance of his wife and the murders of his best friend.
Durst, whose family have owned a series of New York skyscrapers, including an investment in the World Trade Centre, was investigated after a recording of him confessing was used in the 2015 HBO documentary series The Jinx.
During filming, he said into a hot mic, “killed them all, of course.”
He was serving a seven-year sentence on a firearms charge as he was arrested and tried for Berman’s murder.
He was acquitted of murdering a neighbour, Morris Black, in 2003, whom Durst said he killed in self-defence.
