There are some problems with its timeline.
Robert Durst
HBO
The series finale of The Jinx, HBO's six-part documentary examining the life and (probable) crimes of Robert Durst, ended with a bombshell: Durst mumbled seemingly incriminating things to himself in a bathroom after being interviewed by the docuseries' director Andrew Jarecki. "There it is. You're caught," Durst said in audio. "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course." As presented by The Jinx, Durst's confessional mutterings seemed to be a direct reaction to Jarecki showing him an envelope they had discovered that had the same misspelling of "Beverley" (as in Beverly Hills) as a note Susan Berman's presumed killer sent the police in 2000.
Considering that Durst was arrested in New Orleans on Saturday, and will be extradited to Los Angeles to face charges for allegedly murdering Berman, The Jinx has resulted in the highest measurement of success: Durst, who has appeared to have escaped justice in three murders if the accusations against him are true, could finally be convicted.
Still, there are many remaining questions about The Jinx — and they are ones Jarecki and producer/cinematographer Marc Smerling will not be answering. After speaking with CBS This Morning , Good Morning America, and the New York Times Monday morning, representatives for the filmmakers canceled all remaining interviews. They sent BuzzFeed News this statement from Jarecki and Smerling: "Given that we are likely to be called as witnesses in any case law enforcement may decide to bring against Robert Durst, it is not appropriate for us to comment further on these pending matters. We can confirm that evidence (including the envelope and the washroom recording) was turned over to authorities months ago."
The questions they don't seem to want to discuss, and ones that BuzzFeed News wanted to ask them, are about The Jinx's timeline. On Sunday night, New York Times reporter Charles Bagli — the foremost authority on Robert Durst who's reported on him and his family's real estate business for years — wrote, "More than two years passed after the interview before the filmmakers found the audio." (The story was co-written with Vivian Yee.)
That assertion contradicted The Jinx's presentation. In the finale, Jarecki and Co. are trying to get Durst to sit down for his second interview so they can present him with the envelope. He is ducking them, but after he is arrested for violating an order of protection from his brother Douglas, the filmmakers suddenly have leverage over Durst (because they have footage of him that might help his case). That arrest, according to the New York Post , took place in August 2013.
HBO
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