The Best True-Crime Documentary Ever Made, ‘The Jinx,’ Actually Helped Catch the Criminal

True-crime documentaries often offer a glimpse into the bizarre, the disturbing, and the downright unthinkable. Dark human nature exposed through the sharp vision of filmmakers who dive deep into the broken minds of individuals who turn into monsters in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, we already see them behind bars or facing trial, and other times, they have already been lost to time. On a few occasions, the documentaries show they are still on the loose, making it hard not to imagine they could be right outside our door.

In 2015, filmmaker Andrew Jarecki released a unique piece in the genre – an intimate look into the mind of a monster who had evaded justice for decades and always relied on the loopholes available to the wealthy. However, Jarecki’s intuition was strong, leading him down a rabbit hole where deception reigned, as alive as the man at the center of the story. In the end, his passion to unfold the real story paid off, but that would be an understatement.

The six-part HBO docuseries The Jinx, also known as The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and currently available to stream on HBO Max, was a window into a carefully orchestrated scheme that had allowed its main subject to roam free for decades. Episodes aired weekly in February 2015 and up until the fifth episode, viewers remained divided over Durst’s actual involvement in the heinous crimes he had always been associated with. And then, in Episode 6, everything changed.

What Did Robert Durst Do?

Robert Durst on trial in ‘The Jinx: Part 2’

HBO

In 2010, Jarecki had his first contact with the bizarre case of Robert Durst, when he directed the crime drama starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, All Good Things. Even though it did not address the murders Robert Durst had always been linked to, the subject matter closely mirrored the widespread allegations Durst had long denied. Strangely enough, Durst liked the film and even contacted Jarecki, requesting to be interviewed. After years of media silence, the wealthy real estate heir stepped back into the public eye.

Documentary masterpiece The Jinx consists of hundreds of hours of interviews between Jarecki and Durst. It mixes real footage and media reports about the disappearance of Durst’s wife, Kathleen McCormack, and the death of his friend Susan Berman. Although there was significant evidence suggesting Durst’s involvement, he had always alleged he was not guilty. In the fifth episode, a piece of evidence resurfaces and Jarecki decides to put Durst against the wall one more time for the season finale of the show.

A Jaw-Dropping Finale That Left the Entire World Without Words (And Sent a Murderer to Prison)

The final episode of The Jinx features Jarecki convincing Durst to sit for another interview after he had been evasive about new evidence. In a meeting room, the director shows Durst the compelling evidence that ties him to the murders, while the millionaire keeps denying that he actually killed Susan Berman. When Jarecki gives up and Durst asks to use the bathroom, he forgets he’s still wearing the microphone. The show wraps up as Durst is heard saying, “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”

One day before the episode aired, Durst was arrested for first-degree murder. The FBI had obtained the evidence from the series’ producers and decided it was enough to arrest the millionaire. Durst was never able to evade justice again and ended up facing trial.

The Jinx didn’t end with Season 1. The docuseries returned in 2024 with a second season that saw Durst facing trial for the murders (he was also accused of killing and dismembering his neighbor Morris Black) and openly speaking in a new set of interviews. While serving his sentence of life in prison, Durst died from cardiac arrest in 2022, and his death is also documented in Season 2 of the HBO series.