Kriti Mehrotra
With HBO’s Andrew Jarecki-directed ‘The Jinx’ exploring the alleged crimes, intriguing life, and ultimate death of real estate heir Robert Durst, we get a documentary series unlike any other. That’s because it comprises not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews throughout its two parts to really underscore the way he was brought to justice following several decades. And arguably one of the most significant reasons behind this was the unwavering determination of major crimes cold case specialist as well as Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney John Lewin.
John Lewin Joined the State Bar of California in 1991
It was reportedly back when John was merely a young boy that he first developed a keen interest in the social plus judiciary worlds, only for it to continue expanding as the years passed. He hence enrolled at the University of Washington almost as soon as he’d graduated high school before eventually earning his Bachelor’s in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. Then came his conscious decision to pursue a Juris Doctorate from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), which he successfully earned in 1991.
John obviously quickly followed this up by taking the bar exam and was, thus, officially admitted to the State Bar of California on December 16, 1991, with his license number being #154338. The precise path this then-ambitious youngster followed for the ensuing three years is unfortunately a little unclear at the moment, yet we do know he joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in August 1994.
The truth is John subsequently showed such great promise in his work that he quickly kept on getting promoted, that is, until he landed in the Major Crimes Unit as Deputy District Attorney. It was then that he also came across the cases of Kathleen Durst’s 1982 disappearance, Susan Berman’s 2000 murder, as well as Morris Black’s 2001 homicide, just for multi-millionaire Robert Durst to be connected to them all.
John did learn that Robert had already been acquitted for the latter on the grounds of self-defense despite conceding he’d killed, dismembered, and disposed of this neighbor, but there were still two other mysterious cold cases. Therefore, upon realizing critical evidence had been uncovered during the filming of ‘The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,’ he gave this case his all, which ultimately did result in Robert being convicted of Susan Berman’s 2000 murder on September 17, 2021.
John Lewin is Still a Proud Prosecutor
“We just feel gratified that finally [Robert] has been held accountable for what he has done,” John candidly told the press following the conviction. “It’s been 40 years… and he’s been walking around for a long time. He had a lot more of a life — Kathy [his first wife Kathleen McCormack Durst] didn’t make 30 [before she disappeared in 1982].” Coming to John’s own current standing, although he’s undeniably one of the top prosecutors in the entire Los Angeles County of California, he has actually since been demoted/removed from the high-profile major crimes cold case unit.
According to reports, John was moved to a position typically held by less experienced deputies by liberal District Attorney George Gascón in early 2022 after he publicly criticized his reform policies. “I do not think that my retaliatory transfer is an accident,” this family man plus 30-year veteran prosecutor of the department turned Calendar Deputy for the Inglewood court said to NBC Los Angeles back then. “I was clearly transferred because very early on, I chose to speak up in internal memos, in discussions within the office, and in the press and social media, regarding the disastrous nature of many of George Gascón’s policies.” Nevertheless, he’s still devoted to doing his best to secure justice for his county, his country, and his people.
Read More: Debrah Charatan: Where is Robert Durst’s Wife Now?
