'The Jinx' Suspect Robert Durst Appears Thin and Frail in First Court Appearance in Over a Year

Robert Durst, the subject of the HBO documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, is back in court for his murder trial after a fourteen-month postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TMZ reported that Durst appeared in court on Tuesday looking "thin" and "frail" while wearing a white medical mask. Durst has been accused of shooting his friend, Susan Berman, in the head at her Beverly Hills home in December 2000, allegedly because she was aware of details about the mysterious death of Durst's first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, who disappeared in 1982.

Durst's lawyers recently requested a delay in the murder trial because the former real estate professional was dealing with several "life-threatening" health issues. "We are very concerned about his health," Durst's lawyer Dick DeGuerin told Fox News. "He's really gone down in the last year. He's been in and out of clinics and hospitals frequently." The appeal was denied.

The trial has already been delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Durst's lawyers calling the trial a "grueling" ordeal for anybody, but especially for a "78-year-old man with serious health conditions."Some of these health issues include "bladder cancer, esophageal cancer in the past, malnutrition, coronary artery disease with drug-eluting stents, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease." In order to secure his release on bail, Durst made it clear that he's willing to pay a high bail and wear a GPS tracker once released to a hospital or medical care facility.

Durst has been in jail since his arrest in 2015 and pled not guilty at the time. The arrest was sparked by developments dug up by The Jinx, specifically in the final episode with Durst seemingly admitting to the crimes he was being accused of for years. He was caught on audio talking to himself in the bathroom saying "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

Durst is suspected of murdering at least three people, including McCormack, Berman, and his neighbor, Morris Black, who was killed in Texas in 2001 and ended up allegedly dumping his body parts in Galveston Bay before fleeing. Durst admitted to dismembering Black's body and was acquitted of the murder on the grounds of self-defense and was not charged for the dismemberment.