Jury selection is underway for the murder trial of Robert Durst, a trial that could last up to five months yet involves almost no evidence, according to The Associated Press.
Durst, 76, is said to be worth $100 million. He comes from a prominent family in the New York real estate world.
He is on trial for the murder of his best friend in Los Angeles 20 years ago.
Prosecutors aim to show that this murder was a cover-up to prevent the friend, Susan Berman, from telling police what she knew about Durst’s wife’s disappearance in 1982.
»MORE: New York heir Durst pleads not guilty to murder in LA court
The only evidence connected to Berman’s murder was a note mailed to police on the day of her death. The note contained the word “CADAVER” along with her address. Her body was found in her home in December 2000 with a bullet in her head.
Eighteen years prior, in 1982, Kathleen Durst disappeared. Kathleen and Robert Durst’s nine-year marriage was allegedly turbulent, according to pretrial testimonies.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a classmate testified that "She thought that her husband might hurt her."
"I had the money. I was 9 years older. ... I had the education. I was calling the shots," Robert told authorities in 2015.
She vanished five months short of fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, according to The New York Times. Police conducted an investigation, but no body was found. Durst was never convicted in relation to his wife’s disappearance. Kathleen’s family sued Durst for $100 million for the believed murder of his wife.
Robert Abrams, a lawyer for the family, filed a paper that stated that Mr. Durst hired a well-connected lawyer to help keep a clear name, according to The New York Times.
The paper says that in 1982, Durst hired someone to "conduct a clandestine 'shadow investigation' to ensure that the NYPD did not conduct a meaningful investigation into Durst's involvement in Kathie's disappearance and murder."
Prosecutors will claim that Berman, the murdered best friend, helped Durst cover his tracks related to Kathleen’s disappearance.
To further entangle the case, Durst was acquitted for a third alleged murder that happened in September 2001.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Durst disguised himself as a mute female botanist and took refuge in an apartment in Galveston, Texas, after Berman’s death.
He befriended neighbor Morris Black, but admitted to shooting him and dismembering his body. Prosecutors claim this is because Black discovered Durst’s true identity. Durst went to trial, where he claimed he was acting in self-defense.
"It comes down to reasonable doubt," said one juror.
Durst escaped the public eye for a while after his acquittal, until he decided to talk to television producers.
In 2015, HBO created a documentary television series about his mysterious and sinister life, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst." Twenty hours of recorded interviews with Durst were used by filmmakers and Deputy District Attorney John Lewin.
»RELATED: In 'The Jinx,' Durst reminds us of the narrative power of crime dramas
In the process of creating the documentary, producers unearthed a letter written from Durst to Berman with the same blocky handwriting as the “cadaver” note. The two notes also misspelled Beverly (as in, Beverly Hills) in the same way: “BEVERLEY.”
The film ends with Durst's voice: "You're caught! What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."
However, which of these sentiments are true versus the manipulation and sound-bite splicing of moviemakers?
The jury will have to decide.
The HBO series was enough to spur on Durst’s arrest in March 2015.
"This case proves that someone like Durst, with hundreds of millions of dollars, may be able to avoid justice for 36 years. But in the 37th year, Durst and the people who helped him will be brought to justice," wrote Abrams, lawyer for the lawsuit related to Kathleen Durst.
Durst spoke to Lewin from his jail cell shortly after his arrest, where he said, “Whoever wrote that note had to be involved in Susan’s death.”
He also reportedly told Lewin he didn’t like communicating with people and “has not always told the truth,” according to The Associated Press. He claimed to have been high on methamphetamine while interviewing for “The Jinx.”
Durst wrote a letter to The Los Angeles Times in 2016 that read:
"I'd rather be going to California on my own, but I'm anxious to get to trial to prove I didn't kill Susan Berman. You couldn't print what I think about The Jinx. I didn't kill Susan Berman, and I don't know who did."
The defense maintains that Durst is innocent of Berman’s murder.
"Our defense is, one, he didn't do it, and, two, they can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did it. It is a highly circumstantial case and we will have strong responses to explain the circumstances." — David Chesnoff, defense lawyer
The Associated Press reports that prospective jurors were introduced Wednesday to the legal team, including defendant Robert Durst.
Durst, donned in a plaid blazer, had to be lifted from his wheelchair for the introduction by Chesnoff and defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin. They introduced the 76-year-old as “Bob.”
The potential jurors reported to the court, located in Los Angeles, that they would available to serve on the jury for up to five months.
»RELATED: Robert Durst's pals resist testifying at California hearing
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