In HBO's 2015 documentary series The Jinx, the alleged murders committed by 77-year-old real estate heir Robert Durst were brought to the small screen, receiving widespread critical acclaim. During the final episode, Durst is questioned about his suspected role in the killing of close friend Susan Berman, and the confession he seemingly delivers was chilling to viewers. Without knowing his mic is still hot, Durst mumbles to himself on his way to the bathroom, "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."
Durst will be tried for the murder of Susan Berman in a California court in September, and his legal team will rest much of their defense on questioning The Jinx's film editing. Durst's lawyers are accusing the filmmakers of manipulating his confession, claiming Durst's comments were two separate remarks taken out of context. The accused's lawyers are also insisting the documentarians' cooperation with authorities made them into "agents for law enforcement," per the New York Times.
Portions of the transcript from the documentary were filed ahead of the trial, and it appears Durst's infamous confession wasn't as consecutive as viewers and critics may have suspected. Authorities arrested Durst the evening that the final episode of The Jinx aired, and the televised admission of guilt reportedly played a role in the charges law enforcement brought against him.
Filmmakers Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, and Zac Stuart-Pontier have defended their editing of the footage, claiming what was presented to viewers was indicative of what Durst said. However, in a comment to the Times, acclaimed documentarian Mark J. Harris called the editing "problematic" and said the way the confession was strung together is "damning."
HBO echoed these sentiments in a statement to HuffPost on Wednesday. "Andrew Jarecki is an experienced, respected and award-winning filmmaker whose film speaks for itself," a spokesperson said.
Durst has spent the last few years in a Los Angeles jail cell after pleading guilty to a weapons charge. In addition to the murder Berman, the New York real estate heir has been suspected of killing his wife in the early '80's and his former neighbor in Galveston in 2001.
