#Looking back at interviews with convicted killer Robert Durst before his death

Interview with a killer

I’ve interviewed convicted murderer Robert Durst. I’ve met him. I’ve been with him. I’ve spoken with him. I was in his Galveston jail.

I knew he’d become sickly. Cardiac arrest. Prison authorities had put him in the hospital.

Nov. 13, 2003, I had one of several exclusives with him. Its particular front page had been headlined “Durst Speaks” and was a result of the Texas case. This millionaire from New York’s wealthy real estate family had worn a dress and stolen a sandwich and was then on trial for gruesomely hacking up a body.

And the verdict was: He was actually sensationally acquitted.

Despite that stunning verdict, he still was annoyed. Actually irritated. Just hours after the verdict Durst, on the phone, calmly told me:

“I’m upset. I won fair and square. And I just saw the DA on TV saying, ‘Robert Durst is not welcome in my home.’ That’s not a nice thing to say. I thought it was nasty. I couldn’t hear more because those in the next cell were making noise.”

At that time our conversation was spread over four 10-minute phone calls. He said: “The night before the verdict, we heard that the judge’s thinking was the jury would be deadlocked. Courthouse rumors were they couldn’t reach a decision. And when it came down the DA wasn’t even there. My lawyer wasn’t even there. We had to phone him.”

The day that trial began, Durst told me he’d actually been allowed a little delicacy. “Ice cream,” he said. However, being behind bars for so long his stomach was no longer accustomed to pigging out. He became ill. After the verdict he particularly explained about how nice his Texas guards were. He said: “The guards gave me a special treat. Turkey, stuffing and chestnuts with french fries instead of mashed potatoes.”

In 2010, Magnolia Pictures released the film “All Good Things.” It starred Kirsten Dunst and was inspired by the unsolved long-back fatal disappearance of Kathie, Robert Durst’s first wife. The moviemakers hoped it would help a Best Supporting campaign for Dunst.

Kirsten later said: “This didn’t decide whether or not he killed his first wife. The story starts with his youth, then working for his father, then his marital relationship. We don’t see him ‘do it’ but end up feeling he could’ve.”

Ryan Gosling who played the Durst character: “He says terrible things to his wife. I, as his character, then find and kill a dog. And [also] their many dogs somehow suddenly went missing. I also spent time with the late Mrs. Durst’s family who were quite emotional.”

TV medicine

Medical colleagues on Fauci: “Important for him to be important, to face cameras, be quoted. Nothing new. He’s been around a long time and when we worked with him during the HIV years, he was the same. Itchy to be on TV, in headlines, out front, quoted, important. He craves it.”

An agent for change

Here’s the 411 on “The 355,” the female action flick with chicks doing all the kicks and tricks. Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o and ringleader Jessica Chastain.

Jessica: “355 was the code for the first female spy during America’s revolution. Real female agents say it’s a badge of honor to be referred to as ‘355’ and a tip of the hat to women who were unrecognized. Badass babes need more films like this.

“I’ve always been outspoken about how women have been and still are treated in Hollywood. Important to me to make a film where actresses were not just for hire but had each others’ back plus ownership over their work.”

So cold around here these days that some of this town’s rednecks have turned blue.

Only in New York, kids, only in New York (and maybe Washington).