GUILTY CA - Susan Berman, 55, fatally shot, Los Angeles, 23 Dec 2000

Wednesday, May 26th:
*Trial continues (Day 6) (@ 9am PT) – CA – Susan Berman (55) (Dec. 24, 2000, Beverly Hills) – *Robert Alan Durst (57 @ time of crime/72/now 78) arrested (3/14/15) extradited (11/1/16 from Indiana prison to Calif.) & charged with 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty. $4M Bond.
Was serving a 7 year federal prison term for illegal possession of a revolver at the time of his New Orleans’ arrest.
Trial began on 2/11/20 with pretrial motions & jury selection started on 2/19/20. Trial started on 3/4/20. Jury: 8 women & 4 men. 11 alternates. (1 alternate excused on 5/18/21) Now 10 alternates. (Trial expected to last 5 months). Trial stopped 3/16/20 due COVID-19 & will restart on 7/27/20 & retrial was to restart on 4/12/21 continued to 5/17/21 continued to 5/18/21. No court on Fridays.

Jury Selection from 2/19/20 thru 3/3/20 (Days 1-8) & Trial Days 1-6 (3/4/20 thru 3/12/20) & Court info from 3/16/20 thru 5/12/21 & Trial Days 1-4 (5/18/21 thru 5/24/21) reference post #250 here:
CA - Susan Berman, 55, fatally shot, Los Angeles, 23 Dec 2000 *Arrest*

5/25/21 Tuesday, Trial Day 5: State witnesses: Dr. Steven Safyer, former CEO of Albert Einstein College of Medicine where Kathie attended. Judge Windham breaks early today. Durst will not be in court tomorrow, 5/26 due to a doctor's appointment. Trial continues on 5/26/21.
 
I have a very close friend that was interviewed by detectives as a POI in this SB case. :eek:

He is still shook up by it. He is a comedian and comedy writer, who knew SB through mutual writer friends. She had asked him if he wanted to write a spec script with her for a Comedy Central special. They had gotten together a couple times to work on it and he would bring some good pot for them to smoke.

So she began to call him to bring her weed. Which he did a few times. So the week before she was killed there were several calls between my friend and SB. When he heard what happened to her he was upset and freaked out. And he asked my husband and I---'should I call the cops or should I wait for them to call me?' He knew his fingerprints and/or even DNA were likely in her place. And phone records would show their calls.

I was saying call them first---tell them you had spoken to her and had plans to meet up---which they did---but she never called back to confirm...

He didn't call them but one day they were at his door...:eek:...asked to come in, and they talked to him but also looked around a lot...

Anyway, luckily for him they were more suspicious about Durst than they were about my friend.
Oh my goodness I wonder if the defense ever got to hear about him...she whispers to herself
 
One thing with this trial, I don't think it's a great idea that the witnesses have to wear face masks on the stand. They've got the plexi-glass there and the distancing from anyone else. I noticed the first police officer on the scene asked if he could remove his once he was seated in the witness box and the judge said no. I think part of evaluating a witness has to do with reading facial cues, as well as what they have to say. I think it's a really important part of how we make judgements, could even be grounds for an appeal, if the jury were hampered by not being able to fully and properly judge the witnesses honesty, and also if the witness is uncomfortable speaking for long periods with a mask on. IMO
 
Oh my goodness I wonder if the defense ever got to hear about him...she whispers to herself
I doubt it cuz he had a very solid alibi....which was lucky for him because he often just writes at home alone, so no alibi.

But on the 23rd he was visiting family for a holiday party and had witnesses and pictures of him being there
 
I doubt it cuz he had a very solid alibi....which was lucky for him because he often just writes at home alone, so no alibi.

But on the 23rd he was visiting family for a holiday party and had witnesses and pictures of him being there
That is very lucky!
 
Watching Durst sitting at that trial, it doesn’t look like he may make it to the end of this long trial. They have visually propped him with a legal pad and placed a pen or pencil in his hand... but have you ever seen him write anything down?

Do you think he’ll ever make it to the witness stand as defense stated? If he miraculously does, it will be a trip.
 
Watching Durst sitting at that trial, it doesn’t look like he may make it to the end of this long trial. They have visually propped him with a legal pad and placed a pen or pencil in his hand... but have you ever seen him write anything down?

Do you think he’ll ever make it to the witness stand as defense stated? If he miraculously does, it will be a trip.
I think he did write a note to the judge yesterday, about his doctor's appointment today. I think I might have seen him writing some notes at another time too, because he was trying to get his counsel's attention with it, waving it around for quite a while.

He does look almost prehistoric though.
 
Watching Durst sitting at that trial, it doesn’t look like he may make it to the end of this long trial. They have visually propped him with a legal pad and placed a pen or pencil in his hand... but have you ever seen him write anything down?

Do you think he’ll ever make it to the witness stand as defense stated? If he miraculously does, it will be a trip.

IMO I feel like he is never not performing. And right now he is def playing the frail old wisp of a man. Who knows how much hardier he is in private .... I bet he still rages at the people around him at least JMO
 
Can anybody explain why they are putting on so many witnesses having to do with the Kathy Durst case in this trial? What a waste of time IMHO. Put somebody like Judge Janine Pirro on who was the NY prosecutor at the time to give a synopsis of the role Susan Berman was suspected of playing in that still unresolved case. Move on to the Houston case where much of this was also re-hashed. I just think there is a more expedient way to get before the jury the relationship between Berman and Durst before listening to Dick DeGeron (sp? soryy) puts the jury to sleep and just thinking, 'Please make this stop'! Durst got lucky in Houston, and they are trying the same tactic in this trial.
 
from Wed. May 26th:

Cathy Russon
@cathyrusson
·
1h
#RobertDurst - Playing previously recorded testimony from Peter Schwartz. He's the man at the party that Robert Durst allegedly kicked in the face.

Still playing the pre-recorded testimony of Peter Schwartz. Some jurors are showing frustration at not being able to understand it very well. The audio is very hard to hear. Nothing can be done in court as the recording wasn't great to begin with.

Peter.jpg

Jurors have been given transcripts of this interview plus transcription on the monitor.

- Court is getting ready to start back up following the lunch break.

Playing recording testimony from Feb. 14, 2017 of Dr. Albert Kuperman, fmr. associate Dean, Einstein School of Medicine. Kathie Durst allegedly called out sick to a rotation to Kuperman after when prosecutors say she disappeared

Kuperman.jpg

Recorded testimony from Dr. Kuperman still playing (This was 4 hours long) The courtroom is hot today and jurors are using their notepads to fan themselves.

Court has adjourned for the day. Tomorrow will be a short day due to a previous juror commitment. Court will be in session 9-1 PT/ 12-4 ET

Judge.jpg


link: https://twitter.com/cathyrusson
 
Thursday, May 27th:
*Trial continues (Day 7) (@ 9am PT) – CA – Susan Berman (55) (Dec. 24, 2000, Beverly Hills) – *Robert Alan Durst (57 @ time of crime/72/now 78) arrested (3/14/15) extradited (11/1/16 from Indiana prison to Calif.) & charged with 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty. $4M Bond.
Was serving a 7 year federal prison term for illegal possession of a revolver at the time of his New Orleans’ arrest.
Trial began on 2/11/20 with pretrial motions & jury selection started on 2/19/20. Trial started on 3/4/20. Jury: 8 women & 4 men. 11 alternates. (1 alternate excused on 5/18/21) Now 10 alternates. (Trial expected to last 5 months). Trial stopped 3/16/20 due COVID-19 & will restart on 7/27/20 & retrial was to restart on 4/12/21 continued to 5/17/21 continued to 5/18/21. No court on Fridays.

Jury Selection from 2/19/20 thru 3/3/20 (Days 1-8) & Trial Days 1-6 (3/4/20 thru 3/12/20) & Court info from 3/16/20 thru 5/12/21 & Trial Days 1-5 (5/18/21 thru 5/25/21) reference post #261 here:
CA - Susan Berman, 55, fatally shot, Los Angeles, 23 Dec 2000 *Arrest*

5/26/21 Wednesday, Trial Day 6: State witnesses: Prosecutors played a recorded testimony from Peter Schwatz. Played recorded testimony of Dr. Albert Kuperman, former assoc. Dean, Einstein School of Medicine. Trial continues tomorrow, 5/27/21 & will be a short day due to a juror's commitment. Will be in session from 9am to 1pm.
 
Egads that prerecorded testimony is brutal. So scratchy & impossible to understand!! Hopefully the main points make it thru to jury. (I could hardly hear it so don’t even know quite what those main points are!)

only heard Schwartz so far, def hoping Kuperman will be less impossible.

interesting courtroom dynamics .... idk CA courtrooms so don’t know how normal this is. The prosecutor with his earnest-schoolboy zeal is running the show. The judge is happy to let him to the point that they’re almost a team MOO. Durst is so obviously guilty of so much - away from jury, judge has even acknowledged it. A bit weird IMO but a guilty pleasure
 
Egads that prerecorded testimony is brutal. So scratchy & impossible to understand!! Hopefully the main points make it thru to jury. (I could hardly hear it so don’t even know quite what those main points are!)

only heard Schwartz so far, def hoping Kuperman will be less impossible.

interesting courtroom dynamics .... idk CA courtrooms so don’t know how normal this is. The prosecutor with his earnest-schoolboy zeal is running the show. The judge is happy to let him to the point that they’re almost a team MOO. Durst is so obviously guilty of so much - away from jury, judge has even acknowledged it. A bit weird IMO but a guilty pleasure
O/T---speaking of a guilty pleasure---I used to have a favourite T-shirt with that same red, white and blue skull on it and I wore it to a lot of Dead Shows back in the day...:p
 
O/T---speaking of a guilty pleasure---I used to have a favourite T-shirt with that same red, white and blue skull on it and I wore it to a lot of Dead Shows back in the day...:p

~ never had such a good time ~
 
Okay - before I hit the hay - I copy/pasted these!

For today, Thursday, 5/27:

Cathy Russon
@cathyrusson
·
3h
WATCH LIVE: #RobertDurst trial. Ruth Mayer, friend of Kathie Durst is first up today.

Ruth.jpg

Summer of 1981 Kathie told Ruth Mayer about domestic violence in her marriage to Bob. Ruth told her to report it to the authorities, Kathie was too afraid to.

Ruth Mayer is asked about Prudence Farrow - sister of actress Mia Farrow. In 1981 Kathie told Ruth that Bob was having an affair with Prudence Farrow, "She was upset about it." (Getty photo of Prudence)

Farrow.jpg

Now talking about the weekend of Jan 30-31, 1982. (Kathie last seen Jan 31). Did you see Kathie on Jan 31st? Ruth said she saw her that morning and never saw her again.

Kathie Durst's friend Ruth Mayer is on the stand. The Mayers were neighbors to the Dursts in South Salem. Durst told authorities that he had drinks at her house the night Kathie went missing. Ruth Mayer says that is not true.

Under cross-exam Ruth Mayer was asked about The Jinx. She said she didn't talk to The Jinx people, she was afraid to talk to them, afraid of being manipulated.

Cross by Chesnoff: We (defense) asked to speak to you, right? Yes. You told John Lewin you didn't want to talk to us? Mayer said she doesn't remember saying that but she did feel that way, that she didn't want to talk to Bob's lawyers.

Under cross Ruth Mayer was asked about New York in the 80's, that a woman could disappear, it was a violent place. Mayer said she doesn't remember the city being violent, she rode the subway all the time.

Now Bill Mayer is called to the stand. He and his now ex-wife, Ruth, were neighbors of the Bob & Kathie in South Salem.

Mayer.jpg

Lewin asking Bill Mayer about the lake next to their homes in South Salem. The lake is 88-90 acres. In winter the lake freezes over. He said in late Jan, early Feb 1982, the lake was frozen over.

Lake.jpg

Lewin asks if someone was trying to dump a body in this lake in late Jan, early Feb, would that be possible? Bill Mayer says that would be "extremely difficult".
Bill Mayer testifies that Bob Dust owned a sailboat. Bill told him if he ever wanted to sell it, he'd be interested. One day Bob approached him & asked if he was still interesting. Bill says Bob told him for $200 he could have it, so he bought it.

"Not true at all," Bill Mayer says about Bob's story that he dropped Kathie off at the train and went to his house for drinks. Bob told police that back in 1982. Mayer said he's 100% certain that didn't happen.

#RobertDurst today in court.

Durst.jpg

Lewin: Do you remember your wife telling you that she saw a blue light coming from the Durst basement on the night of Jan. 31 and Feb. 1? Mayer: Yes, she did.

Ruth Mayer remembers on the night of Jan 31, 1982 seeing a blue light coming from the Durst home that she had never seen before. The blue light was coming from a crawl space under the house.

Contentious cross-exam of Bill Mayer. He spoke to police and prosecution but didn't want to speak to the defense. Bill Mayer gets a little heated when Chesnoff says, "That's because you've kind of taken a side."

BIll Mayer to Chesnoff- You asked to talk to me, I was in the middle of dinner, I had 2% battery left on my phone, the place was packed w/people. I had no knowledge that you were going to call or ask and suddenly I get a call that you want to talk at 9pm last night

Chesnoff: It wasn't me that called you, was it?
Mayer: Uh, no.
Chesnoff: It was one of the prosecutors, correct?
Mayer: Yes, but they said you wanted to talk to me.

Lewin interrupts - Mr. Chesnoff asked for the first time..... JUDGE: Let's not get into this, this has nothing to do with this witness.

Judge.jpg

Chesnoff: Did you ask to talk to me this morning?
Mayer: I didn't know that was an option.
Chesnoff: So at no time in the 40 yrs since this event have you ever talked to anybody representing Mr. Durst.
Mayer: That's a true statement.

Lewin on re-direct of Bill Mayer: When Bob Durst came over to tell you about Kathie, do you know if he was genuinely concerned or was he feigning concern after he killed her?
Chesnoff: Objection

Lewin: Were you afraid of Bob Durst after his wife disappeared?
Mayer: No, I was not.
Lewin: You weren't married to him though, were you?
Chesnoff: Objection

Judge: What's your objection?
Chesnoff: Absurdity
Everyone laughs.
Judge Windham: That's a new one.

Chesnoff on re-cross of Bill Mayer: At no time did Bob Durst ask you to be an alibi for him, did he?
Mayer: He did not.

10 min break then the remainder of Dr. Kuperman's video testimony will be played.


link: https://twitter.com/cathyrusson



and will continue this tomorrow...
 
Having slogged through the recorded Kuperman testimony .... v surprised to hear for the first time that Kup had been told to expect Kathie’s call on 2/1 and thought it not at all remarkable!!

[FYI background: prosecution alleges Kathie KD was killed 1/31 by RD, who then had SB claim to be KD on 2/1 to report KD’s med school absence that day. On 2/1 a call was placed by “Kathie” to Dean Cook, who was absent so the call was re-routed to Dean Kuperman.

Prosecution has argued convincingly that Dean Cook was not the person to call here & anyone associated with the school would’ve known that, raising implication that “Kathie” caller was not actually KD. Now Kuperman’s testimony is that, altho this call to Dean Cook was irregular, he’d actually been told by Dean Cook to expect it due to specific circumstances at the time.]

IMO BTW this doesn’t actually undermine prosecution’s theory because the crux of the arg is that the absence needed to be reported to the medical clinic where KD was supposed to have reported that morning, as they were counting on KD to perform labor there & needed to know of need to make other plans. That the clinic did not receive any call from “Kathie” is the crucial fact here. Whether KD would’ve called the dean in addition to the clinic is a sidebar, because the obviously necessary call to actual workplace was not made.

All that said ... v surprising to hear this testimony that undermines so much of what the prosecution has presented about the impropriety of the 2/1 call. We’ve seen witnesses who’ve clearly had their memories of KD’s murder altered by the media coverage since ........ have to wonder MOO if Kuperman likewise has invented this memory of being told to expect KD’s call. Who knows, he may have suffered feelings of guilt for his minor role in this horrible event & his mind acted to assuage by creating story where his actions are unimpeachable .... JMO. Unfortunately Dean Cook has since passed away (KD’s murder is now 40 years ago), so he can’t confirm.

Tbh actually IDK if Kuperman was done testifying - hard to figure out what’s what on u tube & only one ear on this all anyway .... I’m going to go back & see if there’s more re-direct etc that clears any of this up at all! If I find out more, I’ll report back.

(haha yes clearly I’m mostly reporting to myself in this thread, but presumably others may read in the future & find useful!)
 
They’re trying to show how SB knowingly helped RD cover up Kathie’s murder because that’s all crucial to the theory of the case. If SB made that lying call to Kathie’s dean, that means she was in on it ... and her knowledge is why he killed her.

Looking at the Durst timeline of hideous events and life choices, has there never been any thought that his marriage to Debrah Charatan on Dec 11, less than two weeks before SB's murder, may have been the motive? Durst was already in hiding and now had a wife to help him cover, so why keep shoveling money to SB when he no longer needs her? I think it would be easier to just present it as he just no longer needed SB and was tired of sending her money instead of trying to prove he thought she would "out" him by essentially admitting she aided and abetted Kathy's murder years before. This years apart rehashing of what happened to Kathy is only going to muddy the water IMHO and distract from the murder of SB. When you've got a man who admits he's mentally capable of dismembering a man's corpse it's not that much of a stretch to think he'd shoot an old friend when she becomes an inconvenience in his life, thinking it is OK as long as he cares about her corpse.
 
Having slogged through the recorded Kuperman testimony .... v surprised to hear for the first time that Kup had been told to expect Kathie’s call on 2/1 and thought it not at all remarkable!!

[FYI background: prosecution alleges Kathie KD was killed 1/31 by RD, who then had SB claim to be KD on 2/1 to report KD’s med school absence that day. On 2/1 a call was placed by “Kathie” to Dean Cook, who was absent so the call was re-routed to Dean Kuperman.

Prosecution has argued convincingly that Dean Cook was not the person to call here & anyone associated with the school would’ve known that, raising implication that “Kathie” caller was not actually KD. Now Kuperman’s testimony is that, altho this call to Dean Cook was irregular, he’d actually been told by Dean Cook to expect it due to specific circumstances at the time.]

IMO BTW this doesn’t actually undermine prosecution’s theory because the crux of the arg is that the absence needed to be reported to the medical clinic where KD was supposed to have reported that morning, as they were counting on KD to perform labor there & needed to know of need to make other plans. That the clinic did not receive any call from “Kathie” is the crucial fact here. Whether KD would’ve called the dean in addition to the clinic is a sidebar, because the obviously necessary call to actual workplace was not made.

All that said ... v surprising to hear this testimony that undermines so much of what the prosecution has presented about the impropriety of the 2/1 call. We’ve seen witnesses who’ve clearly had their memories of KD’s murder altered by the media coverage since ........ have to wonder MOO if Kuperman likewise has invented this memory of being told to expect KD’s call. Who knows, he may have suffered feelings of guilt for his minor role in this horrible event & his mind acted to assuage by creating story where his actions are unimpeachable .... JMO. Unfortunately Dean Cook has since passed away (KD’s murder is now 40 years ago), so he can’t confirm.

Tbh actually IDK if Kuperman was done testifying - hard to figure out what’s what on u tube & only one ear on this all anyway .... I’m going to go back & see if there’s more re-direct etc that clears any of this up at all! If I find out more, I’ll report back.

(haha yes clearly I’m mostly reporting to myself in this thread, but presumably others may read in the future & find useful!)
I haven't watched this testimony yet but I'm a bit confused by all this. Why does it matter if K was told to expect the call or not?
 

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