Tweets for Monday, Aug. 23rd:
Cathy Russon
@cathyrusson
·
15h
#RobertDurst returns to the stand for the EIGHTH day. He is still under cross-examination by prosecutor John Lewin. We could see closing arguments next week. WATCH LIVE at 9am PT/12pm ET
Jurors are lined up in the hall, however Durst is not in. Judge Windham at the bench without robe on......
#RobertDurst is now in court.
NOW: Cross examination continues with the defendant on the stand.
Lewin asks Durst if over the weekend he was able to review documents regarding him dating Prudence Farrow. Durst says yes, he did.
Durst says his relationship with Prudence Farrow became sexual in the fall of 1981. (Kathie disappears Feb. 1982)
Lewin: Isn't it true that Prudence made clear she wouldn't date you unless you divorced Kathie?
Durst: Prudence never said that.
Lewin: Did Prudence Farrow ever say to you that she was going to cut you off because you were married and not separated from Kathie?
Durst: No
Lewin asked Durst about phone call he made to Prudence saying he wouldn't be able to talk to her for awhile, this was leading up to Kathie's disappearance. He doesn't recall that. Lewin played part of his 2015 interview w/Durst where Durst admitted to call.
Lewin says since Bob can't remember this info about Prudence he'll move to asking him about his relationship with Susan Berman.
Lewin plays 2015 interview: Lewin: Susan would have done almost anything for you.
Durst: Damn close.
Durst says Andrew Jarecki advised him to say that. Lewin: Oh, Mr. Durst, this wasn't with Jarecki. How about a different explanation?
Lewin: If Susan Berman had damaging evidence that you had murdered you wife, if that was the case, you would agree you would have given her money whenever she asked for it, correct?
Durst: This is hypothetical, I did not murder my wife.
Durst denied going to Caldors on 2/1/82. Lewin showed him stipulation that defense agrees he made a purchase from Caldors. Lewin brings up Durst going to a store after killing Morris Black to buy cleaning supplies & compares this the day after Kathie went missing.
Lewin: Let's assume you went to Caldors and bought a bunch of items to clean up the crime scene after killing Kathie...
DeGeurin: Objection
Judge allowed.
Durst: I didn't kill Kathie.
Lewin: Let's assume you wanted to buy a bow saw and trash bags, you could have bought those at Caldors, correct?
Objection. Overruled.
Durst; Let's say I wanted to buy a phone, let's say I wanted to buy a pair of socks. Let's say I wanted to buy a refrigerator.
Lewin: Let's say if you wanted to buy items to dismember someone you could buy those items at Caldors?
Durst: Correct.
Durst: "I'm not a normal person. I am told that I am somewhere on the autistic spectrum. I don't know what a normal person does."
Lewin: Can you explain the blue light your neighbor saw coming from your basement for those two nights and only those two nights?
Durst: I think it was her imagination.
Durst admits to writing this list - Town Dump,
Bridge,
Dig,
Boat,
Other,
Shovel or ?,
(check)car-truck/rent.
Lewin: This looks like a list to get rid of a body?
Durst: That's how it looks to you.
Durst explains this list as follows:
Town Dump: was going to tell the high school kid who took care of the house to take our rotting sailboat to the town dump.
Bridge: abbreviation of Bridge Hampton where Kathie and I intended to rent a house that July
(cont)
Durst explains this list as follows: (cont)
Dig - is for 'digital'. He says he had bought a Microsoft book w/computer that he planned to work on.
Boat: is the sailboat that needed to go to the town dump.
Other: Don't know what I meant.
(cont)
Durst explains this list as follows:
Shovel: snow shovels. going to ask the high school kid that took the sailboat to the dump to buy 2 snow shovels because ours has been stolen.
(Check) car-truck/rent: The kids are supposed to rent a truck to put the boat in.
Lewin: (with a chuckle) Mr. Durst, would you agree this story you just told (about the list), you never told that story to Det. Struk, to Jarekci, to any media, to myself, anyone?
Durst: No one ever asked me about my scribbly notes to myself.
Lewin: So it's your testimony that no one ever asked you about the 'dig" note?
Durst: No one ever asked me about the "digi" note. (he does not say 'dig', says "digi")
Lewin shows Durst the "dig" note from "The Jinx" to prove to him that he has been asked about this note before.
Lewin: Could it be, Mr. Durst, that you literally made this up at this trial? That it is completely and absolutely, 100%, certifiable lie start to finish?
Objection. Sustained.
"Susan liked to make up stories." - Bob Durst.
Lewin: Are you saying she liked to make up lies accusing her best friend of murder? Is that your testimony?
Durst: That's my testimony
Lewin: Does that make sense to you?
Durst: The question is does Susan makes sense?
Durst just testified about Det. Struk going on TV talking about 3 sightings of Kathie Durst after she went missing. This has been heavily litigated and the is not allowing it, which Durst is well aware of.
Was Durst just caught in a lie? We hear for the first time that Durst had two sailboats. Note Durst's pause.... before he says he had two boats.
Regarding Durst's explanation of writing (check) car-truck/rent on the "dig" list - he said he has the high school kid to rent a truck to take the sailboat to the dump. Lewin: Are you aware you can't rent a vehicle if you're under age 25?
Wiener/Winer - They just spent a LONG time arguing over the pronunciation of the high school kid's last name.
Lewin: You're very cheap with your money aren't you? Your brother testified you are cheap.
Durst: That's the brother that hates me.
Lewin: Don't both your brothers hate you?
Lewin asks about Emily Altman testifying that Durst was in L.A. at the time of Susan's murder forced Durst into admitting he wrote the cadaver note. Durst: I thought you did an a pretty good job of making it clear that Emily Altman was a highly unreliable witness.
Durst: I lied about being in southern California right up until the time my attorneys stipulated that I wrote the cadaver note.
THIS IS NEW: Durst just testified that he arrived at Susan's house before the killer had left......
Durst says he believes the killer was still there or in the yard. Lewin: You testified that her body was cold. Durst: No, I didn't.
Lewin then plays our clip from Durst direct testimony saying Susan was cold.
Lewin: She was cold, wasn't she?
Durst: Her face felt cold.
Lewin: It's your position that she might have only been dead for 5 mins, her face is cold and that the killer is still in the house?
Durst: Correct
And that's it for today! Tune in tomorrow for day NINE of Bob Durst on the stand.
Oh, I left that part out. When confronted with his testimony that he has said her body was cold, he changed it to her breath was cold.
link:
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