Kriti Mehrotra
When writer Susan Jane Berman was shot to death execution-style in her rented Benedict Canyon home on December 23, 2000, it honestly left the entire nation baffled to the very core. That’s because she was not only the daughter of late crime lord David “Davie” Berman but also one of the closest friends of real-estate heir turned suspected killer Robert “Bob” Durst. She’d actually become the latter’s confidant too after his first wife had suddenly disappeared in 1982, as per HBO ‘The Jinx: Part Two,’ driving many to believe he murdered to silence her. But alas, there was another suspect.
Who is Nyle Brenner?
Although Nyle graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s in architecture before pursuing another degree in the same field at Columbia, he eventually shifted gears to establish a career in entertainment. In fact, from what we can tell, he found his footing at William Morris Agency as an Agent from 1981 to 1984, just to then operate his own management company until its closing in 1997. Thus came this manager-producer’s reported 11-year stint at Polaris Entertainment as a Personal Manager/Partner, where he represented professionals from all areas of his beloved industry.
It hence comes as no surprise Nyle knew author, journalist, plus aspiring screenwriter Susan by the mid-1990s, only to soon evolve into her agent, manager, as well as core representative too. However, since she was apparently his sole writer client at the time and was having genuine trouble making things work and staying afloat, their relationship was seriously less than amicable. Therefore, of course, he was questioned after she was found dead on the floor of her bedroom on Christmas Eve 2000 – her neighbors had noticed her front door was open and had dialed 911.
It was then that it came to light that Nyle had essentially become Susan’s errand boy as she continued facing a dark time of not being able to sell any of her original work to directors or publishers. Moreover, according to ‘The Jinx: Part Two,’ he lent her as much money as she probably earned him as a high-maintenance client, which further resulted in friction between the two rising. The fact he was arguably the closest person to her then didn’t help him either, and neither did the fact he’d broken into her home while it was still secured as a crime scene by the authorities.
Though the most incriminating piece of evidence against Nyle was his handwriting, especially as the police had received a block-lettered note stating there was a “cadaver” in her home the day after they’d found her body. It turns out this agent had signed in to the local station using this same kind of block letters prior to also failing a polygraph test, causing there to be even more suspicion around him. Nevertheless, despite his having stated, “[Susan] pushed people to the edge… it was very difficult to be with her,” during his interview, the case against him never went further owing to a lack of any concrete evidence.
Nyle Brenner is Still Active in the Entertainment Industry
While it’s true that Nyle was never officially charged with Susan’s murder, the dark cloud of suspicion hung over his head right until December 24, 2019, when Robert Durst finally admitted to being behind the cadaver note. This did contradict all his previous statements of denial as well as of not even being in Los Angeles at the time of her death, soon resulting in him being convicted of first-degree murder in 2021. So, it seems like Nyle is glad to finally have a clear name, which enables him to continue serving as a Personal Manager plus Producer in both Los Angeles and New York under his own company, Brenner Entertainment.
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