Convicted Killer Robert Durst Indicted on Murder Charges Over 1982 Disappearance of Wife

Imprisoned real estate heir Robert Durst was charged for another murder on Monday - this time of his wife, Kathie, who disappeared in 1982.

Following a criminal complaint filed last month accusing Durst of killing his wife in South Salem, New York, in January 1982, a Westchester County Grand Jury indicted Durst on one count of second-degree murder on Monday.

“When Kathleen Durst disappeared on Jan. 31, 1982, her family and friends were left with pain, anguish and questions that have contributed to their unfaltering pursuit of justice for the last 39 years,” Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said in a statement.

“The District Attorney’s Office reinvigorated its investigation into Robert Durst just 10 months ago when I took Office, launched the Cold Case Bureau, and dedicated the resources and skill that I thought this case deserved. Thanks to the incredible hard work of our Assistant District Attorneys, the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigators and the New York State Police, we have taken a huge step forward in the pursuit of justice for Kathie Durst, her family and victims of domestic violence everywhere.”

“For nearly four decades there has been a great deal of speculation about this case, much of it fueled by Robert Durst’s own highly publicized statements,” she added. “An indictment is a crucial step in the process of holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions.”

Kathie disappeared on January 31, 1982, without a trace. The mystery has fueled decades of speculation, but her body was never found. In a 2015 documentary on his life called “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” the real estate heir admitted to a physical argument with his wife the night she disappeared, but has always denied any involvement in her death.

However, at the end of the series, unaware that he was still being recorded, Durst is heard saying, "What the hell did I do? ... Killed them all, of course."

Last month, Durst was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2000 murder of his friend Susan Berman because he feared she was about to reveal to police what she knew about Kathie's death. He was arrested for the murder based on his admission in the documentary.

He was also acquitted in 2003 of the death and dismemberment of his neighbor, Morris Black, in Galveston, Texas, in 2001, despite admitting to accidentally shooting Black in the face during a struggle and then cutting up his body and dumping it in Galveston Bay. Durst pleaded guilty to bail-jumping and tampering with evidence, however, and served one year of a five-year sentence before being pardoned with certain stipulations. He was soon jailed for another year, however, after violating those stipulations.

Investigators have also been looking into connections between Durst and multiple other missing women ranging from 1971 to 1997.

Durst, 78, is the oldest son and heir of New York real estate mogul Seymour Durst. He is worth an estimated $65 million.