Attorneys push claims Robert Durst’s family helped cover up his wife’s death

Durst’s trial for the murder of his friend Susan Berman is set to restart Tuesday. He has never been charged with Kathie Durst’s death.

Lawyers for the family of Kathleen McCormack Durst said Monday they had new evidence to back claims that real estate heir Robert Durst’s brother and father helped him cover up his wife’s disappearance and death in 1982.

But attorney Robert Abrams refused to share his information on Monday after the Westchester County District Attorney in New York announced she was reopening the cold case into Kathie Durst’s death, the New York Post said.

Robert Durst, 78, has long been suspected in his wife’s disappearance and death but has never been charged. He has been charged with the 2000 shooting death of his friend Susan Berman, who was reportedly preparing to reveal information about Kathie Durst’s death, as CrimeOnline previously reported. That trial is set to restart on Tuesday after a 14-month delay over COVID concerns.

Law & Crime producer Cathy Russon tweeted news of Abrams’ new information before the start of Monday morning’s hearing in Los Angeles, but when Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said in a statement that her office “is reviewing a number of cases, including the death of Kathie Durst,” Abrams said no more.

The Durst family told the Post they were “appalled” by Abrams’s claims.

“Mr. Abrams is a member of the cottage industry that seeks to personally profit off of Robert’s victims, even if it involves disrupting the prosecution of the murder of Susan Berman,” said Jason Barowitz, a spokesman for the family.

“The truth is that the Durst family is appalled by Robert’s actions and has cooperated with authorities to help ensure justice is served,” Barowitz said. “These allegations are false and have been repeatedly debunked.”

Allegations that Robert Durst’s father Seymour Durst and brother Douglas Durst were participants in the cover-up of Kathie Durst’s death and disappearance were first made in a lawsuit filed in 2019 by Kathie’s sister, Carol Bamonte, the Post said. The suit accused the family of conspiring to “to protect [Robert] Durst and The Durst Organization from any connection to Kathie’s disappearance and murder.”

According to the lawsuit, Kathie Durst was going to expose illegal business dealings with the Durst Organization and that Seymour Durst told his son to “take care of this problem.”

Kathie Durst was last seen leaving the couple’s home on January 31, 1982, and her body has never been found.

Durst’s trial for Berman’s death started in early March last year, and jurors heard opening statements and two days of testimony before Judge Mark Windham halted the proceedings because of the pandemic. In preliminary actions on Monday, Windham questioned jurors about their long wait to make sure they could complete their assignment and denied a motion from Durst’s attorney to delay the restart over his client’s multiple health ailments, KTLA reported.

Durst was not in court.

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[Feature Photo: Robert Durst in court in March 2020 via AP/Alex Gallardo, Pool, File]