Robert Durst was born on April 12, 1943, to Bernice and Seymour Durst, a wealthy New York City real estate Mogul. At the age of 7, Durst claims he witnessed his mother fall to her death from the roof of their Scarsdale, N.Y. home. As the eldest son, Durst stood to inherit the family business.
April 1973: Robert Durst, 30, marries 20-year-old Kathleen McCormack. Durst soon quits the family's real estate business and the couple move to Vermont to open a health food store.
Trouble in the Marriage
After several years, the marriage grows strained -- especially after Kathie becomes pregnant and Durst forces her to have an abortion. Durst has violent tendencies and on at least one occasion Kathie goes to a New York hospital with bruises.
Kathie's brother, Jim McCormack, remembers a family party that Robert wanted to leave early, but when Kathie took her time. "He turned around and walked over and grabbed her by the hair...and pretty much yanked her off the couch," said McCormack.
Kathie begins studying to become a dental hygienist.
Kathie Durst Goes Missing
Jan. 31, 1982: According to Robert Durst, he drops Kathie off at the train station in Katonah, N.Y., so she can head into Manhattan to attend classes the next morning. Durst says this is the last time he sees Kathie.
Five days later, he calls police in Manhattan and reports his wife missing.
Best Friend becomes Spokesperson
After Kathie Durst's disappearance, long-time college friend Susan Berman becomes Robert Durst's unofficial spokesperson. Berman fields questions from the media as well as Durst's family members and friends.
Cold Case Reopened
November 2000: The disappearance of Kathie Durst has been cold for 18 years when, on a tip, the case is reopened by Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
"I have no reason to believe that she isn't dead and that this wasn't a homicide," said Pirro.
Durst In Hiding
November 2000 - In an effort to escape media attention over the reopening of his missing wife's case, Robert Durst rents an apartment in Galveston, Texas. He disguises himself as a mute woman known as "Dorothy Ciner" who communicates with the landlord via handwritten notes.
Robert Durst Remarries
Dec. 11, 2000: Bobby Durst secretly marries New York real estate broker Debrah Charatan. They had been dating on and off for over a decade. They are still married to this day.
Susan Berman Killed
Dec, 23, 2000: Susan Berman's body is discovered in her home in Benedict Canyon.
Los Angeles investigators determine she was murdered a day earlier, execution-style, with a single gunshot to the back of the head.
Just weeks before her murder, Berman had been contacted by investigators who wanted to question her about the disappearance of Kathleen Durst.
The Cadaver Letter
Just a few days after Susan Berman's body is discovered, the Beverly Hills Police Department receives what would come to be known as the "cadaver" letter -- a single handwritten sheet of paper containing Susan Berman's address and the word "CADAVER" in block letters and postmarked the day before her body was found.
Handwriting analysis is inconclusive.
Morris Black Killed
Sept. 28, 2001: According to Durst, while living in Galveston he and his 71-year old neighbor, Morris Black, get into a struggle over a hand gun--and Black is accidentally shot in the head, killing him.
Body Parts Found
Sept. 30, 2001: A 13-year-old boy spots a man's torso floating near the shoreline of Galveston Bay. Nearby, police find garbage bags containing human limbs, along with a number of items investigators later trace to an apartment house in the 2200 block of Avenue K.
On October 5, officials identify the body parts as the remains of Morris Black.
Durst Arrested
Police arrest Robert Durst, 58, who lived in an apartment across the hall from Morris Black. Durst is charged with Black's murder and possession of marijuana, but leaves jail that night after posting $300,000 bond.
Durst Jumps Bail
Oct. 16, 2001: RobertDurst becomes a fugitive when he fails to appear at a court hearing in his case. A grand jury indicts him on charges of murder and jumping bail.
Durst Arrested for Shoplifting
Nov. 30, 2001: After a seven-week manhunt, police in Pennsylvania arrest Robert Durst at a grocery store for stealing a sandwich and newspaper.
Durst on Trial for Murder
In 2003, Durst went on trial for the murder of 71-year old neighbor Morris Black. He testified on the stand for multiple days, admitting that he killed and dismembered Morris Black, but that the killing was in self-defense.
Durst Acquitted in Black Murder
Nov. 13, 2003: Robert Durst is found not guilty of murdering Morris Black.
"All Good Things"
Dec. 3, 2010: Andrew Jarecki's scripted film about Durst's life, "All Good Things", starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst is released in theaters.
Durst Speaks for the First Time
Shortly after "All Good Things" is released, Robert Durst contacts filmmaker Andrew Jarecki and pitches a documentary about his life.
"I will be able to tell it my way," Durst explained to Jarecki, who signs on to tell Durst's story.
Durst Doumentary Premieres
Feb. 8, 2015: After a several years in production, HBO premieres Jarecki's six-part documentary series, "The Jinx: The life and deaths of Robert Durst".
Filmmakers Discover New Evidence
During filming of "The Jinx," Susan Berman's stepson, Sareb Kaufman, gives filmmakers a handwritten letter he finds from Robert Durst to Susan Berman.
The handwriting on the letter to Berman [bottom] seems to match that of the "cadaver" letter [top], down to the misspelling of the word "Beverley."
Robert Durst Arrested
March 14, 2015: The night before the final episode of HBO's "The Jinx" airs, Durst is arrested in New Orleans for the murder of Susan Berman.
In his possession, police say they found a gun, more than $40,000 in cash, a fake ID, and a latex mask.
New Evidence Presented to Durst
March 15, 2015: The final episode of HBO's "The Jinx" airs. During the episode, filmmakers confront Durst with the letter he wrote to Susan Berman and the "cadaver" letter.
Jarecki points out the striking similarities between the two letters but Durst denies writing the "cadaver" letter. But when Durst is asked to point out which handwriting sample is his, he is unable to.
Durst Recorded Talking to Himself
March 15, 2015: After his final interview with Jarecki, Robert Durst goes to the bathroom not realizing he is still wearing a microphone and being recorded.
In the bathroom, Durst is heard talking to himself saying, "There it is. You're Caught. What the Hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."
Challenging the Prosecution's Case
In his only television interview, Robert Durst's defense attorney Dick DeGuerin tells Erin Moriarty he is ready to defend his client. He calls the handwriting analysis of the "cadaver" letter "junk science" and believes "The Jinx" filmmakers set-up Robert Durst by secretly recording him while in the bathroom.
March 17, 2015: Durst sits in a New Orleans prison on suicide watch, while awaiting gun and drug charges in Louisiana.He will then be extradited to California to face charges in the murder of his close friend, Susan Berman.
March 23, 2015: A magistrate orders that Durst be held without bond on weapons charges in Louisiana.
February 2016: Durst is expected to plead guilty to that gun charge. As part of the deal, he'll be locked up in Los Angeles and ultimately go on trial for Berman's murder.