The Case of Susan Berman

Susan Berman, 55, was a writer and longtime friend of Robert Durst. She was found shot in the back of the head inside her Benedict Canyon home in Los Angeles on December 24, 2000. An anonymous letter directing police to her home and identifying a "cadaver" had been mailed the previous day. The murder remained unsolved for years until investigators connected Durst to the killing. Prosecutors alleged that Berman was murdered because she knew information about the disappearance of Durst's first wife, Kathleen "Kathie" McCormack Durst, and was prepared to speak with investigators. Durst was convicted of first-degree murder in September 2021 and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Susan Jane Berman was born on May 18, 1945, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She later became a writer and author and was the only child of David "Davie" Berman, a Las Vegas organised-crime figure. Berman became a close friend of Robert Durst while they were both associated with the University of California, Los Angeles. She later wrote about her childhood and her father's connections to organised crime, including in her memoir Easy Street. Berman remained one of Durst's closest friends for decades. Their friendship became particularly significant after the disappearance of Durst's first wife, Kathleen "Kathie" McCormack Durst, in 1982. Berman was reported to have helped Durst establish an alibi following Kathie's disappearance. By 2000, however, the disappearance had attracted renewed attention from investigators. Around the time of Berman's murder, investigators were attempting to speak with her about what she knew concerning Kathie's disappearance.

Berman was living at 1527 Benedict Canyon Drive in Los Angeles. On December 24, 2000, police were called to the residence after Berman was found dead inside her home. She had been shot once in the back of the head with a handgun. Investigators determined that the shooting occurred on or around December 23. There was no apparent forced entry, indicating that Berman may have known her killer or allowed the person into the house. A significant piece of evidence emerged immediately after the killing. On December 23, the Beverly Hills Police Department received an anonymous handwritten envelope addressed to the department. Inside was Berman's address followed by the word "CADAVER". The note had been mailed on the same day Berman was believed to have been killed. The unusual letter became an important part of the later investigation into her murder.

The murder initially remained unsolved. Investigators eventually focused on Berman's relationship with Durst and her knowledge of Kathie Durst's disappearance. By 2000, the investigation into Kathie's disappearance was being revisited, and Berman had become a potential source of information for investigators. Los Angeles prosecutors later argued that Durst killed Berman to prevent her from providing information about Kathie's disappearance. The anonymous "cadaver" letter also became significant. Investigators examined its handwriting and other characteristics, including the unusual spelling of "Beverley" in the address. The case received renewed national attention after Durst participated in the HBO documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. During the documentary's production, Durst made statements that prosecutors later used as evidence. A microphone continued recording after an interview had ended, capturing Durst apparently speaking to himself and saying, "Killed them all, of course." The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Durst with Berman's murder in March 2015. His trial eventually began in 2020 but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic before resuming in 2021. Prosecutors presented evidence concerning the murder scene, the anonymous letter, Durst's relationship with Berman, his movements around the time of the killing and his alleged motive for preventing Berman from speaking to investigators. Durst testified in his own defence and denied murdering Berman.

On September 17, 2021, a Los Angeles County jury found Robert Durst guilty of first-degree murder. The jury also found special-circumstance allegations involving lying in wait and the killing of a witness to be true. On October 14, 2021, Durst was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Durst maintained that he was innocent of Berman's murder. He died in custody on January 10, 2022, while serving the sentence.

Berman's murder became closely connected to the investigation into Kathleen "Kathie" McCormack Durst's disappearance because prosecutors argued that Berman was killed to prevent her from revealing what she knew about Kathie's fate. The case was also significant in bringing renewed public attention to Berman's life and career, including her writing about her father's organised-crime background. Berman's death remained unsolved for more than 14 years before Durst was charged in 2015.