the memories and upkeep too much to bear. i mean, it was always-- oh we live in cottonwood. small town, nothing happens here. and then the worst you can imagine happened. keith morrison: casey and his brother troy no longer play baseball for the local college. the days when they look toward the bleachers where their parents always sat side by side are gone forever. that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [music playing] hello, i'm andrea canning, anda murder mystery.e." you've got a wealthy family. it's something for everybody.

there is a club of people consumed by trying to figure out what happened. i've never seen anything like it. andrea canning: a missing wife-- everything about this reeked of murder. andrea canning: --a murdered best friend, a dead neighbor-- it's hard to understand. andrea canning: --now, the stories you haven't heard as those who knew robert durst best speak out. i hope and i pray that when all this is done, we all get answers. andrea canning: and hear his own account of his strange life. the reclusive millionaire spent much of his time on the road so where was he? what was he doing? who was he with? what is a guy of his wealth doing hanging out at a homeless shelter soup kitchen? andrea canning: for decades, suspicions. questions raised anew on the series "the jinx." will there finally be answers? bob didn't kill susan berman. andrea canning: the twisted trail of robert durst and a new mystery.

karen, where are you? he's definitely in the mix. andrew mills: he is in the mix. hello, and welcome to "dateline." robert durst was born into privilege. he never seemed to crave the limelight, but over the years, his possible ties to a string of mysterious disappearances and gruesome deaths placed him under the bright glare of suspicion. durst's tale has been the subject of books, television shows, and movie plots. it is a stranger than fiction story with twists and turns, a complicated yarn that has been unraveling for decades. here's keith morrison with "robert durst-- the lost years." [film running] keith morrison: there is a letter written decades ago. a prophecy? perhaps. a warning, certainly.

a doctor writing about a very troubled 10-year-old boy suffering from hostility issues, sufficient to produce a personality decomposition and possibly even, schizophrenia. the troubled little boy? his name is well-known-- robert durst. by now, you've heard the bizarre saga-- the multimillionaire scion of a new york real estate empire, the disappeared wife, the dead friend, the dismembered neighbor. he's been the subject of several "dateline" episodes and the star, though not in the way he intended, of hbo's "the jinx." but do you, does anyone, know the truth about robert durst? the story behind the story? the trail we, follow the revelations we encounter,

the personal account he wrote and we were given, which have led us into a very weird place-- the lost years of the infamous robert durst. the tale is like quicksand. it sucks you in. charles bagli: bob is endlessly fascinating and always surprises me. keith morrison: he was certainly elusive, mercurial, sometimes desperate. always in motion. we track him, his descent, his strange detour off the road, off the grid. a life that no one, not even his family or close friends, could fathom. he has a good heart inside. i really think so. keith morrison: we begin with two people who knew and loved the man they called bobby-- godfather of their son, close friend of more than 40 years, long before the rest of the world heard of him. and when did you meet him?

we all went to high school together. keith morrison: stewart and emily altman spoke to us after durst was arrested. [exhale] whew. there's still a side of bob that's not a monster. yeah. he has a heart, but it's caused me a great deal of conflict. and what i can't get my head around is, whatever happened to bob? it's hard. keith morrison: the altman's shared personal photos and the story of bob they've lived and breathed, starting with the family disaster that tormented him. stewart altman: his mom committed suicide when he was seven years old and it was a devastating experience for bob. keith morrison: compounded by bob's strained relationships with his brother, douglas, and his father, seymour. but then, in the 1970s, stewart introduced bob to a young woman and this whole twisted tale was set in motion. i was living on east 52nd street on the second floor

and kathie was living on the third floor and bob owned the building. he used to come and collect the rent. keith morrison: kathie was kathie mccormick, stewart's young and beautiful upstairs neighbor. it was like prince charming and the princess. kathie was the love of his life. keith morrison: but it didn't last. a few years later, the altman's watched their prince and princess grow apart. she became more independent. it wasn't the fairy tale anymore. keith morrison: no. in fact, kathie's brother, jim, told us it was more like a horror movie. there's a dark side of bob that was fairly well camouflaged when they were first going out and getting married, but it escalated, ultimately, into psychological abuse, economic abuse, and physical abuse.

keith morrison: remember that doctor's letter warning that the 10-year-old bob suffered from severe hostility issues? kathie gave a copy to her friends, including ellen strauss. evidence, she said, just in case. kathie warned all of us that if anything ever happened, look to bob. bob did it. don't let him get away with it. keith morrison: and then, in 1982, kathie durst disappeared. how did he take it? [exhale] it's bob. he asked if we had seen her, if we heard anything, if we knew anything. keith morrison: but they didn't. no one did. from the outset, bob denied any involvement in kathie's disappearance. at the time, he was careful to distance himself from investigators. "new york times" reporter charles bagli has covered the durst real estate empire for more than three decades. and when kathie vanished, said bagli, bob's protective friend susan berman--

a name you've probably heard of-- became his unofficial spokesperson. and susan would call back and say, well, bob's really not feeling right, right now. i'm going to handle a lot of this. keith morrison: bob himself was, pretty much, incommunicado then, but we have obtained this-- his own account, his version of things, which he wrote later. here's what he wrote about kathie's disappearance. "after my wife, kathie, left, my compulsive use of alcohol, drugs, and food changed from an infrequent problem to a daily event." he didn't come in to work for about two years. keith morrison: later, when bob began showing up at work again, sporadically, he wasn't anything like a buttoned-up executive. he enjoyed smoking pot in a social situation, burping, and farting because it disturbed people

and he liked to watch their reactions. keith morrison: right. so these stories about misbehaving, peeing in a wastebasket or something. charles bagli: peeing in the wastebasket and all of that, it gave pause to the family. keith morrison: and it was no great surprise, when the family patriarch, seymour durst, chose bob's younger brother, douglas, to run the family business. did he really think up until the point where douglas was picked that he had a shot at it? he was groomed for it. that was supposed to be his job. he was upset. it had a devastating effect on bob. keith morrison: and that is when the little known and reclusive bob durst went off on his own to embark on a strange new life. what we wanted to know is how and why trouble seemed to be his traveling companion? andrea canning: coming up, a peek at his new life

on the lost coast-- hanging out at a homeless shelter soup kitchen. wait a minute. he bought a house and he hangs out at a homeless shelter? andrea canning: --when "dateline" continues. dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? with miebo, eyes can feel ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer for the number one cause of dry eye: too much tear evaporation. for relief that's ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ remove contact lenses before using miebo. wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ ask your eye doctor about prescription miebo. mr. clean magic eraser... wow - where has this been my entire life? ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ having to clean with multiple products is a hassle. with magic eraser... i use it on everyday messes. i even use it on things that i think are impossible to clean. you need mr. clean magic eraser in your life.

are you 50 or older? well, this news is for you. the cdc now recommends you get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia. why? if you're 50 or older even if you're healthy... you're 6 times more likely to be hospitalized. so, schedule at vaxassist.com. trust me, you're not alone. that's why we developed new doctor's preferred mindful advantage, the cutting edge, science backed brain health supplement that will help keep your mental edge sharp. >> to get your complimentary sample of new mindful advantage, just text mind to 321321. >> mindful advantage helps you think faster by targeting five areas of brain function attention, learning and memory, language, motor function, and even mood. with five key brain boosting ingredients. ingredients backed by five clinical studies. don't settle for slowing down. keep your mind and memory going at full speed

with mindful advantage. >> to get your complimentary sample of new mindful advantage, just text mind to 321321. text now and we'll send you a bottle of doctor's preferred magnesium. absolutely free. mindful advantage is not available in z's bakery is looking to add a pizza oven, arissa's hair salon wants to expand their space, and steve's t-shirt shop wants to bring on more help. with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee, they can think more about possibilities for their business and not the cost of their internet. it's five years of gig-speeds and advanced security. all from the company with 99.9% network reliability. get the 5-year price lock guarantee, now back for a limited time. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities™.

per hour. the step counter, the sport mat and wireless remote. call now. it's important to remember that for all the statistics and square mileage and square footage and number of people displaced, they're all individual people with their homes, with their lives. >> driving around, there's almost nothing left standing. >> occasionally you'll see a house that's okay or a street that's okay, but that's occasional. >> i continue to see, and i want to shout out one more time, the first responders who are responding in this mutual aid effort from all over southern california. it really has brought out the best and most brought out the best and most inspiring keith morrison: they call this place the lost coast, an almost mystical corner of northern california, where bob durst came to, what, get lost himself.

it was 1995 after he was dumped from the company 13 years after kathie disappeared. bob walked into the office of local real estate broker gene davenport. he told me he was a writer for "the wall street journal." he said he wanted to have a place of ocean view. keith morrison: bob forked over nearly $400,000 in cash for a big family house in the town of trinidad overlooking the pacific, where he lived like a hermit. gene davenport: nobody would really seen him around. he never really had contact or didn't really have any best friends. keith morrison: in that personal account of his, he explained why. "i hated to have more than a brief conversation with someone because i immediately found myself being asked, what do you do? the true answer was nothing. i live off the family estate." which was true enough, but he wasn't exactly idle,

either, said author matt birkbeck, who followed the durst case for over 15 years and wrote a book about it called, "a deadly secret." bob durst was buying other properties, he said, but some of his choices didn't seem to make sense. these aren't just homes. we're talking storage facilities and po boxes. meaning, he'd buy one storage place or something? he'd have an address and the address turned out to be a storage facility. and what's he doing with all these different storage facilities? keith morrison: the main town near trinidad is eureka, where we discovered bob spent quite a bit of time in a second-hand clothing store primarily for women. kay king: i think he wanted to be a cross-dresser and maybe he was experimenting with it. do you know what i mean? keith morrison: he always came alone, said shopkeeper kay king. kay king: he went by something pretty plain like this. nothing real, you know, so it wasn't outstanding. and then, he would get a skirt and try to match it up.

and most of the time, he couldn't so i would try and help him match. keith morrison: kay had seen her share of cross-dressers, but there was something different about this one. he wanted to be somebody else, besides robert durst. keith morrison: which might explain another untold story of those years-- an odd and so far unexplained habit of frequenting eureka's seedy side. matt birkbeck: hanging out at, it was, a homeless shelter soup kitchen. keith morrison: wait a minute. he bought a house and he hangs out at a homeless shelter? he's hanging out at a homeless shelter. keith morrison: but, said charles bagli, he was also restless. charles bagli: he was in constant motion, whether he was here, in texas, or at california, or in europe. keith morrison: or los angeles where he'd look in on susan berman, who, you'll remember,

spoke for him after kathie disappeared and was now trying to make it as a hollywood screenwriter. kim lankford: she and bobby, i always felt, were very tight. keith morrison: this is susan berman's friend kim lankford. kim lankford: she was very protective of bobby. keith morrison: susan lived in a slightly rundown cottage in la's benedict canyon. and occasionally, bob would stop by, but soon, he'd be gone, again. sometimes, flying back to trinidad where he'd question his shuttle driver, ross vitalie. ross vitalie: he would kind of specifically, ask questions about, "has the sheriff's department been out here? have you seen anything going on?" keith morrison: and in 1997, while bob lived here, something did happen. a local teenager named karen mitchell vanished after leaving a women shoe store that later bob was known to frequent. by the year 2000, the case was cold.

but that, of course, is when, across the country in new york, another case was suddenly hot, again-- the investigation into the disappearance of bob's wife kathie reopened by westchester county da jeanine pirro, who later became a tv host on fox news channel. i had an instinct. everything about this reeked of murder. we had evidence that she was battered by him, which he has since confirmed. it was clear to me that he killed her. keith morrison: the investigation was supposed to be top secret, but, as we know, bob durst found out. yeah, i seem worried. he did. keith morrison: and then, one of kathie's friends-- you've met her, ellen strauss-- offered the cops a tip. ellen strauss: i begged the police to interview his best friend, susan berman. i showed them all my research. i felt susan berman was the key. always did. keith morrison: and the police did plan

on interviewing susan berman. the problem was, they just waited a little too long. andrea canning: coming up-- my first thought was, why didn't they listen to me? what were they waiting for? godot? andrea canning: --when "dateline" continues. “the darkness of bipolar depression made me feel like i was losing interest in the things i love. then i found a chance to let in the lyte.” discover caplyta. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta is proven to deliver significant symptom relief from both bipolar i & ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. caplyta can cause serious side effects. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts right away. anti-depressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. caplyta is not approved for dementia-related psychosis. report fever, confusion, or stiff muscles,

which may be life threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements which may be permanent. common side effects include sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, and dry mouth. these aren't all the side effects. in the darkness of bipolar i & ii depression, caplyta can help you let in the lyte. ask your doctor about caplyta. find savings and support at caplyta.com. sky high electric bill, you can layer on the clothes and pile on the blankets. >> but there's got to be a better way. >> now you can plug in and instantly warm up with handy heater copper core. the compact, portable whole room space heater that plugs into your wall. copper core has the power to heat an entire room, but runs for only pennies a day. >> the secret is copper core technology combines a copper infused heating grid and a thermo ceramic heating element with a powerful 800w copper core heats up in seconds, sending

waves of soothing warmth to heat a room up to 250ft!s. copper coe can actually warm up this chilly garage by 20 degrees. amazing. hey, icy cold bathrooms, warm up floors and seats and say goodbye to frozen toes and cheeks. copper core is whisper quiet. perfect for watching tv, reading or a restful night's sleep. plus, with its powerful airflow and adjustable thermostat, it's always the perfect temperature for you. forget tangled cords and cluttered cables. just plug copper core into the wall and it takes up no space at all. warm up your bedroom, living room, office, garage, rvs, and travel. it makes everything you do warm and more comfortable with eight color effects. help set the mood for any room. >> forget dragging around bulky, expensive space heaters. handy heater puts the power of a full sized space heater right in your outlet for a fraction of the cost. call or go online to get your handy heater copper core

for the factory direct price of just 39.99. it comes with our 60 day money back guarantee. but to make this the warmest deal on tv, you can get a 50% discount on a second one. here's how to order. >> to order, call 1-800-612-6907 or go online at big copper core.com. call 1-800-612-6907 or go online at big copper core.com order now. >> the second inauguration of donald trump morning joe kicks off coverage. >> then at 10 a.m, rachel maddow and team will bring you key moments of the day, followed by analysis from our primetime anchors as the new term begins tomorrow, beginning at six on msnbc. >> each week on my podcast, i'm joined by uniquely qualified guests who help me take a big picture look at the issues like representative jasmine crockett, late night host seth meyers, former attorney general eric holder, and many more. why is holder, and many more. why is this happening? listen keith morrison: by the autumn of 2000, westchester county's reinvestigation

of the missing millionaire's wife, kathie durst. had been chugging quietly for months. when the story broke, durst found himself in the media glare, again. it had been 18 years since kathie disappeared and public opinion, he wrote, "turned against him unlike before. in 1982, the tone of the publicity was of a scandal about a rich schmuck who had a terrible marriage. people did not distance themselves from me because of it. in 2000, i was a murderer who everyone disliked." of course, susan berman had kept the bad press at bay back in '82 and now investigators wanted to talk to her. and what did bob do, then? he got married. not to susan berman. but to new york real estate broker debrah charatan. matt birkbeck: that wasn't a marriage made in heaven. that was clearly, a marriage of convenience in that, this is bobby durst saying, in the event i'm arrested,

i have someone to bail me out and to handle my affairs. keith morrison: well, of course, that's just an opinion. maybe, it was a love match, but it did come with spousal privilege, which meant debrah didn't have to talk to the cops about her new wealthy husband. she also reportedly got access to a substantial share of his money. jeanine pirro: debrah doesn't do anything unless debrah benefits. keith morrison: that's a character reference i'm not sure i'd want to have. she is a savvy businesswoman. keith morrison: meanwhile, out in hollywood, susan berman was struggling to make it as a screenwriter. kim lankford: things weren't quite going as well as she would have liked with her career. keith morrison: for years, susan had relied on bob for help and he responded, sometimes with big checks. two at least were $25,000. it was some macabre kind of kooky energy that went on between them.

keith morrison: we got some unique insight from a woman who claims she was susan berman's closest confidant and therapist and psychic. her name is barbara stabiner. and she told us she knows what susan was thinking. in fact, she gave the police many hours of her recorded conversations with susan. in which, during those last months of 2000, according to barbara, susan grew increasingly worried. did susan ever tell you that she was afraid of robert? she did tell me she was fearful of him because i had the feeling she felt afraid of him because she was afraid he would withdraw any help. keith morrison: but it was more than that, said the psychic. susan was afraid of bob, she said, because she knew too much. she knew his secrets. barbara stabiner: towards the end of her life, she was very agitated with him. keith morrison: would he save her?

susan didn't know, said barbara. and then, just before christmas 2000, she said, susan let her know that bob was on the way with money. barbara stabiner: he said, "i'll bring it," and that's what happened, but i can't prove it. keith morrison: la cops have long suspected, bob did go to susan's house in la, but not to bring her more money. to prevent her from talking ever. we do know from flight records and bob's own personal account that he did go to california. christmas 2000 robert durst was on the move again. late december, he flew here, to eureka, california. he had owned a house in this area for several years, but had recently sold it. he wasn't coming to stay here. he got a car, got inside it, pointed south. in bob durst's own personal account, he notes a visit to garberville-- 600 miles from los angeles.

after that, we can't follow his trail. we do know that late on december 22 or early the 23rd, susan berman was murdered by a bullet to the back of her head at her home in la. and on the 23rd, flight records confirm bob took off from san francisco on the red-eye to new york. and soon after, this letter, postmarked december 23, showed up at the beverly hills pd. i call it the "cadaver note." keith morrison: oh, yes, the famous note directing police to her body. a note likely written by her killer. word of susan berman's murder traveled fast. ellen strauss: it was, like, oh, my god, i mean. and my first thought was, why didn't they listen to me? they did not interview susan berman in a timely manner. what were they waiting for? godot? keith morrison: bob skipped susan berman's memorial service. and a few weeks later, he surfaced in galveston, texas.

another good place to get lost. except, of course, trouble eventually found him there-- a killing, a dismemberment, and an unforgettable acquittal. we all know the story, but not this version. andrea canning: coming up, did robert durst rehearse telling the truth? his wife and friend smuggled a little cassette tape recorder into the jail. he would then discuss with them, whether or not he sounded believable with the story that he was telling. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues. with cascade platinum plus, i have upped my dish game auntie, in that dishwasher? watch me platinum plus gives you the highest standard of clean, even in your machine. clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done. cascade platinum plus. i'm jonathan lawson, here to tell you about life insurance scrape. load. done. through the colonial penn program.

if you're age 50 to 85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. options start at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate-lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason.

so call now for free information, and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling, so call now for free information. 1-800-532-3322. don't wait. can your pad flex with you without shifting? always flexfoam can. it's the only pad made with a flexible foam core with wings that fit securely for up to zero bunching and zero leaks. can your pad do that? see what foam can do for you. i'm not happy with the way that pg&e handled the wildfires. yeah. yeah. i totally, totally understand. we're adding a ton of sensors. as soon as something comes in contact with the power line, it'll turn off so that there's not a risk that it's gonna fall to the ground and start a fire. okay. and i want you to be able to feel the improvements. we've been able to reduce wildfire

risk from our equipment by over 90%. that's something i want to believe. [skateboard sounds] - man, i need some serious help with this health insurance stuff. - check out covered california. it's a free service from the state that helps you get health insurance. millions of people have used it. - wait, for real? - mmm hmm, they even offer financial help to lower the cost. - nooo... how you know about all this? - that's how i got my insurance. i got a great plan for about $10 dollars a month. - okay, i see you. - if you've got questions, covered california can help, every step of the way. enroll by january 31st. covered california. miles of steps per hour. the step counter, the sport mat and wireless remote call now. >> i'm jessica layton with the hour's top stories. we are hours away from the second inauguration of donald trump. the events will be held inside due to poor weather in washington. mr. trump is then expected to begin his second term by signing more than 50 executive orders, including one

delaying the ban on tiktok. here in the u.s, the chinese owned video app came back online sunday after temporarily going offline. the company said it looks forward to working with mr. trump on a long term mr. trump on a long term solution. now back to dateline. keith morrison: at the end of the highway to galveston, texas is a road sign. "mile 0," it says. this is where bob durst went to vanish. he had actually moved here just weeks before susan berman's murder. and initially, he was not a suspect, but he took pains to keep himself hidden. as he told his friends, the altman's-- stewart altman: nobody would be looking for a robert durst in a $300 a month apartment under an assumed name. keith morrison: the name of an old high school classmate, named dorothy ciner. although, in his log, he wrote, he didn't like wearing a wig. "it itched. it got in my eyes, unless it was on tight, which made my head sweat."

but the version bob told over the years, believes author matt birkbeck, doesn't tell the real story. certainly, not the famous killing of his elderly neighbor, morris black, or bob's activities in galveston and elsewhere. matt birkbeck: it was really strange-- him in black palling around in galveston amongst the homeless. so what is a guy of his wealth and his family's influence doing stealing identities? keith morrison: in fact, in the spring of 2001, at the same time as he, as dorothy ciner, was living in galveston, he rented another room in new orleans under the name diane wynn. we found the place and his old landlord, michael ogden. michael ogden: he was wearing a blouse with a small brassiere, a wig. keith morrison: he lived on the top floor and the neighbors often saw him wearing women's clothing. he wasn't a drag queen.

he was just in disguise. keith morrison: and then, he'd fly off somewhere else-- new york, california, connecticut-- always returning, as he carefully noted in his personal account, to that downmarket apartment in galveston where, in september 2001, he shot morris black accidentally and in self-defense, he claimed, and then dismembered the man and threw his body parts into galveston bay. here's how durst described it. "jack daniel's, marijuana. bought bow saw. bow saw not deep enough. return for bigger bow saw. could not use saw. went back, first looked at electric saws, bought ax. did it." but matt birkbeck believes bob's claims about the killing were attempts after the fact to sanitize what the evidence suggests was a brutal murder.

matt birkbeck: it makes no sense. and if you look at the autopsy report, it shows that morris had been beaten severely in the upper torso and even, perhaps, suffered a heart attack. so obviously, something else was going on. keith morrison: after his arrest, bob called his friends, the altman's, and tried to explain what happened. stewart altman: he said, he went to a fugue state. it was an out-of-body experience. it's hard to understand. keith morrison: charged with murder, bob durst also called his new wife, debrah charatan, who helped arrange $300,000 in cash for bail, which he promptly skipped, got a car, and traveled the country. sometimes, using morris black's id. it was weeks later when they finally caught him shoplifting in bethlehem, pennsylvania while more than $38,000 in cash was in his car.

the altman's visited him in jail. emily altman: i asked him, how he was doing. and he said, "not great." he talked about how he, pretty much, was going to do, maybe, suicide-by-cop. keith morrison: but bob, of course, didn't pull that particular trigger and was sent back to texas for trial where his houston attorney, dick deguerin, devised the defense that beat the murder charge. dick deguerin: it was a simple case of a struggle over a gun and a gun went off. if it truly was self-defense, then what happened after the killing doesn't change that. keith morrison: bob wasn't so confident he'd get off. in fact, he asked his friends, the altman's, to help him learn more about what life behind bars would be like for him. emily altman: he thought that if he got to know the ins and outs that maybe it would be easy for him once he was on the inside. keith morrison: bob knew his chances of acquittal depended in large part on winning the jury's sympathy.

so for that, he went on a crash diet. emily altman: bob was trying to use every way within his power to look frail when he was on trial in galveston. keith morrison: he also went to considerable trouble to practice his testimony, as presiding judge susan criss learned later from recordings taped in the jail. susan criss: he had his wife and friend smuggle a little cassette tape recorder into the jail. he would practice his testimony, sneak the tapes back to them, and then discuss with them, whether or not he sounded believable with the story that he was telling. will the defendant please, rise? keith morrison: the altman's said bob was convinced, 99.9% certain, that he'd be convicted. we, the jury, find the defendant robert durst not guilty. keith morrison: the jury took five days to save him from 25 years to life in prison.

though, he later served a little time in federal prison for skipping bail and dismembering morris black, but by 2005, he was a free man, again. now, the only person who could catch bob durst was bob durst. andrea canning: coming up, what was he thinking? caught off camera and seemingly off guard on "the jinx," did robert durst confess? why did he give that interview? he thought he'd be able to show, he's not a horrible person. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues. ♪ rinse it out ♪ ♪ every now and then ♪ ♪ i get a little bit tired of the stinks ♪ ♪ that just will never come out ♪ ♪ pour downy in the rinse, jade ♪ ♪ every now and then i rinse it out! ♪ fights odor in just one wash.

>> relief. work, play. blink. relief. relief. >> the only gum problems could be the start of a domino effect parodontax active gum repair breath freshener clinically proven to help reverse the 4 signs of early gum disease a toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts. know you got to get on it. >> check out select quote. trust me. the peace of mind. it's worth it. >> life insurance is too important to put off another day. >> that's why select quote makes getting coverage you need easy for less than a dollar a day. >> now get up to a $2 million policy with no medical exam and same day coverage. >> visit select quote.com. >> we shop, you save. >> oh 64 oops b1 yes, yes yes

yes yes yes yes yes yes. >> bingo. >> i want what they're having for that kind of excitement. download bingo blitz and fill your day with yes yes yes bingo moments, power ups and challenging missions. >> bingo blitz. >> now that's a bingo play. now it's free. >> do you ever wish you could just think faster again? are you tired of reaching for names and words during conversations? trust me, you're not alone. that's why we developed new doctors preferred mindful advantage, the cutting edge, science backed brain health supplement that will help keep your mental edge sharp. >> to get your complimentary sample of new mindful advantage, just text mind to 321321. >> mindful advantage helps you think faster by targeting five areas of brain function attention, learning and memory, language, motor function, and even mood. with five key brain boosting ingredients. ingredients backed by five

clinical studies. don't settle for slowing down. keep your mind and memory going at full speed with mindful advantage. >> to get your complimentary sample of new mindful advantage, just text mind to 321321. text now and we'll send you a bottle of doctor's preferred magnesium. absolutely free. mindful advantage is not available in stores, just text mind to 321321 now. ocd is more than what you see on tv and in the movies. it comes with unrelenting intrusive images, thoughts and urges. if you have ocd and need help, you can get better with specialized treatment. go to nocd.com to learn more. the second inauguration of donald trump morning joe kicks off coverage. >> then at 10 a.m, rachel maddow and team will bring you key moments of the day, followed by analysis from our prime time anchors as the new term begins today, beginning at six on msnbc. >> when you need brutal honesty, when you need answers first thing in the morning, when you

need to go deep inside washington and hear from someone who's been there. >> you need your morning joe >> you need your morning joe weekdays at six only on msnbc. keith morrison: houston 2010-- the story of robert durst took a most unlikely turn. the mess in galveston long behind him, he had settled into this luxury high-rise. mark thuesen was the condo board president. mark thuesen: mr. durst was mostly disheveled. it didn't look like his hair was kept. it was messy. he looked like a street bum. keith morrison: he was 67 by then and seemed to have done away with his cross-dressing. might have lived out his days in quiet, if eccentric, isolation, but then, the durst story went hollywood. a movie called "all good things" was released based on robert durst's life played by ryan gosling.

it was directed by filmmaker andrew jarecki. stewart altman: bob liked that movie and that's why he got involved with jarecki, i think. keith morrison: it was to offer his side of the story that bob sat for two long interviews with jarecki for what would eventually become the hbo series called "the jinx." stewart altman: i begged him not to do it. i begged him not to do it. why he did it, only bob knows. what did he think he would get out of it? stewart altman: he thought he'd be able to show that he's not a monster. he's not a horrible person. keith morrison: bob watched "the jinx" at the same time as everybody else did. and according to jarecki, the filmmakers had given evidence to the authorities two years before the show aired, which to bob's attorney, dick deguerin, meant, the show was far from objective reporting. dick deguerin: they edited probably, 50 or more hours down into a few minutes and i think the editing job was designed to make him look bad.

keith morrison: but it was a simple comparison of handwriting samples that on its own seemed to condemn robert durst. it was episode five of "the jinx" series in which a letter he admitted sending to susan berman was compared to the infamous "cadaver note" her presumed killer sent the cops. soon after seeing that episode, bob packed up and left houston. but the cops were monitoring his cell phone and eventually tracked him to the jw marriott hotel in new orleans. charles bagli: so now, two fbi agents show up at the hotel and they're talking to the clerk. well, do you have anyone booked here under the name of dorothy ciner? no. they go through 10 other aliases. no, no, no. damn. where is he? they turn around and there's bob walking in the lobby

headed for the elevators. keith morrison: later, they accompanied him to his room. charles bagli: and ultimately, they turn up cash, a gun, and some pot. keith morrison: so bob durst was booked for possession of a handgun and marijuana in louisiana and also arrested for the murder of susan berman in los angeles. and the very next day, the final episode of "the jinx" aired featuring the now infamous off-camera bathroom-- what was it? a confession? keith morrison: a few people knew this then, that the documentary edited durst's hot mic moment manipulating two sentences together that were not actually spoken as one. durst's friends certainly had no idea.

what did you think of what you saw on that? oh, god. i just looked at stewart, and he looked at me, and we were speechless for a really long time, and then i burst into tears because it just-- it was like a knife. keith morrison: after his arrest, a package arrived for him at that new orleans hotel. the police opened it. charles bagli: there were a pair of shoes in it and $117,000 in cash. hmm. so he was definitely getting ready-- for something. a pair of shoes and money, that's kind of what you need, isn't it? that's right. keith morrison: and attorney deguerin stepped in, again. this time, he acknowledged, because of bob's trip to new orleans, getting him out of jail might not be so easy. dick deguerin: i acknowledged early on, the chance of him making bail right now, the chances are slim and none and slim just left town. keith morrison: robert durst pleaded guilty to illegal gun

possession. he was sentenced to seven years in federal prison. and as for the susan berman case, attorney dick deguerin insisted bob had nothing to do with her murder. the trial got underway in march 2020, but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. it resumed 14 months later with deguerin continuing his battle against a tough deputy da named john lewin. a frail robert durst testified from his wheelchair and under questioning by lewin, made this stunning admission. did you kill susan berman is strictly a hypothetical. i did not kill susan berman, but if i had, i would lie about it. keith morrison: in september 2021, a jury found robert durst guilty of first degree murder. he was sentenced to life without parole.

two months later, a grand jury in new york indicted him for the death of his first wife, kathleen durst, but a jury would never hear that case. in january 2022, robert durst died in a california hospital while serving his life sentence. he was 78. and in a final twist, john lewin, the prosecutor in the berman case, said that because durst was appealing that verdict at the time of his death, under california law, his conviction will be vacated. robert durst may be gone, but the mysteries remain. andrea canning: coming up, a missing teenager. investigators wonder, is there a link? andrew mills: robert durst is a person of interest in this case. andrea canning: when "dateline" continues.

touch can mean so many things. even for people with moderate-to-severe eczema. touch can make two feel like one. or simply be a helping hand. dupixent can help you stay ahead of eczema as you welcome the feeling of touch. dupixent helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema to help heal your skin from within. many adults saw 90% clearer skin. some even achieved long-lasting clearer skin and fast itch relief after the first dose. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue or throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing. tell your doctor of new or worsening eye problems, like eye pain, vision changes, or blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma or other medicines without talking to your doctor. dupixent. the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, helps you feel the heal. see the difference for yourself.

reach out to your eczema specialist today. herbal essences is a force of nature. made with supercharged botanical blends, our sulfate-free formulas deeply penetrate to boost hair health. without the salon naturals price tag. herbal essences. ♪♪ every parent knows when it's time to go into... protect mode. kill 99.9% of bacteria when you add lysol laundry sanitizer to your laundry routine. ♪♪ how are folks 60 and older having fun these days? family cookouts! ♪♪ playing games! ♪♪ dancing in the par... (high pitched sound) (high pitched sound) (high pitched sound)

>> on a magical night. >> dreams take flight and sometimes dreams come true. >> snoopy arrives at solitaire grand harvest. >> dive into a world of fun and adventure with snoopy right by your side as you play solitaire, solve challenges and reach new heights. collect the unique snoopy collection and prepare for an experience filled with joy and excitement. salter never ♪ ♪ with so much great entertainment out there... wouldn't it be easier if you could find what you want, all in one place? my favorites. get xfinity streamsaver with netflix, apple tv+, and peacock included, for only $15 a month.

hour. the step counter, the sport mat and wireless remote sport mat and wireless remote call keith morrison: of all the places robert durst wandered, this was not just a favorite, but now the setting of a lingering mystery-- california's lost coast. in 1997, a pretty teenager named karen mitchell was helping out at her aunt annie casper's shoe store. i did not ever meet robert durst,

but my manager, she said she remembered him because he just, dressed as a woman. keith morrison: karen might well have met robert durst, said aunt annie. she often helped eureka's homeless population. people among whom bob was known to mingle. we can't know for sure, but we do know, she was in bob's neighborhood more than once. annie casper: karen used to go to trinidad on the bus. i mean, they could have met. it's definitely a possibility. she liked unusual people. she liked to pick their brain and talk to them. keith morrison: the day she vanished, karen left the shoe store to walk to her job at a nearby daycare center where she'd arranged to have annie pick her up after work. and as i came down, i had this weird feeling, like something was off. keith morrison: it was. karen never made it to work. her mother, mary casper, lived in los angeles.

no forgetting what that phone call was like. we drove from southern california up here. and i remember, hanging fliers at the rest stops of my daughter and just being, like, this is not happening right now. how could this be? karen, where are you? keith morrison: a massive search produced no sign of her. though, there was one curious lead. a witness who said he saw a young woman get into a car with an older man on this busy eureka road. the witness worked with the police artist to produce this, but nothing much came of it. at least, not back then. years passed and then matt birkbeck, who authored a book on durst called "a deadly secret," got a tip from some independent investigators also working the case. a possible connection. there were credit card records that placed durst in the eureka area

the day that this girl disappeared. keith morrison: the transaction was just off the coast in trinidad, maybe 20 minutes or so by car from that spot where the witness saw a girl picked up on the road in eureka. and then, before the trial in galveston, birkbeck heard this. i have a really good source that was close to the defense team. and i was told that durst, he was extremely concerned about karen mitchell and was so concerned, he thought he was going to get charged. durst brought this up on his own with his defense attorneys? - yes. and dick deguerin apparently said to him, "bobby, let's worry about one case at a time." keith morrison: not true, said dick deguerin. i've never had any concern about it. did bob? no. [sirens] keith morrison: but when durst was arrested in new orleans, the case was reborn. andy mills was the eureka police chief at the time. robert durst is a person of interest in this case. he's definitely in the mix. he is in the mix. someone that we will consider as part

of our larger investigation. keith morrison: the chief was not alone. the fbi and the humboldt county da were investigating a possible bob durst connection, too. however, durst was not the only person of interest. there were five others. the evidence, the circumstantial evidence, is just not there at this point. keith morrison: that old composite sketch, for example-- could this be robert durst? the chief isn't quite sure it's particularly accurate. looks very similar. were you impressed by the similarities? i'm impressed by the similarities, but my questions are, being able to recognize somebody in a very small space and window and then being able to recount that in a description that's pretty precise. keith morrison: that sketch? ridiculous, said durst's attorney dick deguerin. i know bob pretty well. that doesn't look anything like him. it looks like mr. potato head. keith morrison: so who was that witness of 18 years ago?

would he still remember? the cops hadn't spoken to him recently so we found him riding his tractor in the green hills above eureka. his name is randy gomes-- an army vet and local carpenter. did he remember? i looked right at him because i was yelling at him. keith morrison: yelling at him because that guy cut him off when he stopped his car to pick up a teenage girl. and i eyeballed him all the way around as i was coming around the car. keith morrison: gomes insisted, the girl got into the car willingly, as if she knew the man. so now, 18 years later, we showed gomes his sketch and a picture of robert durst. what is your gut reaction when you see those two photographs together? randy gomes: i believe, that's the man that i saw. keith morrison: so how sure are you, you got it right? i'm positive. in my heart, i know, i have it right. keith morrison: and gomes is fairly certain, he said,

the girl who got in the car looked like a photo the police showed him of karen mitchell. but it was her because she-- we made eye contact. keith morrison: but issues. there's no proof that it was karen mitchell who got into the car. and bob durst's eyes were not blue. and said, chief mills, gomes didn't come forward until months after the incident. what we don't want to do is just take something that's sensational and plug that person into the midst of an investigation that may or may not have anything to do with them. keith morrison: but the investigation continues and some, like birkbeck, believe there may be more. i've never said definitively that he was a serial killer. what i said was that there's so much out there about him that clearly, there's something going on here, and that law enforcement needs to look into it,

and thankfully, they are doing it now. keith morrison: waste of time, said dick deguerin. well, there's no evidence. and to think, they have to have a theory that he's some kind of serial killer. he's not a serial killer. but the notion of robert durst as a serial killer has come up. a guy who-- well, it sells magazines. it sells books. it causes people to turn on their tvs. keith morrison: a long-missing wife, a dismembered neighbor, a murdered friend-- this is how robert durst is defined now. where did it all go wrong? all that power, privilege, money? it's been decades since the doctor warned bob's hostility issues could lead to personality decomposition. is that what happened? emily altman: you can see bob. keith morrison: to his friends emily and stewart altman, bobby durst was a good person and loyal friend

for more than 40 years. though, emily, painful as it was, worried that bobby durst may have been the friend she never knew, after all. i can't understand harming a human being, ok? doesn't make sense to me. i don't know if i could forgive that, and i wish i could, and i'm struggling with that. i don't know. that's it-- i don't know. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thanks for watching. histo ♪♪ this sunday, historic agreement. israel and hamas agree to