Viswa Vanapalli
The scion of a billionaire family that made its money in real estate, Robert Durst had an eventful life, to say the least. Over the years, he was seemingly implicated in his wife’s disappearance, acquitted of a murder, and convicted of another. Beginning in the 1990s, Robert was also at odds with his family. ABC News’ ‘20/20: The Devil You Know’ and HBO’s ‘The Jinx’ delves into this millionaire’s complex life and how it ended with a prison sentence.
How Did Robert Durst Earn His Money?
Robert’s grandfather, Joseph Durst, was an Austrian-Jewish immigrant who moved to the United States in 1902. He bought a building in Manhattan, New York, in 1915 and founded the Durst Organization in 1927. His son, Seymour, joined the firm in 1940, taking over in 1974 when Joseph died. Seymour then concentrated on acquiring real estate and building several skyscrapers in the city.
The building and expansion that occurred over the next few years cemented the Durst family’s name as one of the premier real estate developers in the country. Robert, Seymour’s oldest son among four children, was initially seen as the heir to take over from Seymour. However, he had no interest in the family business. In the 1970s, Robert opened a health food store called All Good Things in Vermont, but that closed within a couple of years. He then returned to Manhattan.
Robert also pursued nursing and tried his hand at becoming a doctor. But by the 1980s, his erratic behavior meant the family didn’t look at him anymore to take over the business. In 1994, Seymour chose Douglas, Robert’s younger brother, to lead the family business to usher in a new era. Soon after that, Robert became estranged from his family. A legal battle between him and the family ensued because Robert wanted to remove the trustees so he could receive a larger share of the fortune. Around that time, he received about $2 million per year from the family.
Despite not being a part of the family business, he made a few real estate investments, In 2011, Robert paid $6.1 million for two apartments in New York City, flipping them about three years later for a profit of more than $4 million. However, his arrest in 2015 eventually ended with a murder conviction for killing his friend, Susan Berman. Robert died on January 10, 2022, at the age of 78, after a cardiac arrest. At the time of his arrest, his net worth was listed at $100 million.
Robert Durst’s Net Worth
In 2006, the Durst family bought out Robert’s share for $65 million. However, it’s unclear how much he had to spend on legal fees and other expenses, so Robert’s net worth at the time of his death could not have been more than $80 million. His legal fees were obviously his primary expense in the ensuing moments, especially as he’d hired some of the biggest criminal defense attorneys, but then there’s also the fact he maintained his estate really well alongside his second wife Debrah Charatan, enabling them to do well.
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