The story of Robert and Kathie is a long and disturbing tale of mystery and tragedy that spans several decades. It begins in late January nineteen eighty two when Kathie disappeared after a weekend with her husband Robert. Although she was last seen on the thirty first of January Robert did not report her missing until February fifth. He explained this delay by claiming they often went days without contact during the week because Kathie lived near her medical school while he stayed at their home. Robert told police that his wife might have run away with another man but Kathie's family was immediately suspicious because she had been planning to divorce him. A woman even called the school on February first claiming to be a sick Kathie but investigators could never confirm her identity. Over time Robert's statements became inconsistent as he provided different details about the hours leading up to her disappearance.In the aftermath Robert's friend Susan Berman a journalist helped manage his public image by writing articles suggesting Kathie had left of her own free will. However evidence found at their summer house by Kathie's sister showed the place had been ransacked with her personal belongings thrown in the trash. Three weeks after the disappearance a doorman also saw Robert throwing out Kathie's clothes and suitcases which suggested he did not expect her to return. It was later revealed that Robert had been having an affair with a woman named Prudence Farrow. Prudence had even called Kathie months earlier asking her to leave Robert. Just days before Kathie vanished Prudence tried to end the affair which reportedly sent Robert into a rage.Robert was also known for his eccentric and often repulsive behavior within his wealthy family. He had a toxic relationship with his brother Douglas and was eventually removed from the line of succession for the family real estate business after he was caught repeatedly urinating in office wastebaskets. Infuriated Robert cut off contact with his family and moved to California where he lived a quiet life and officially divorced the missing Kathie in absentia. He later moved to Galveston Texas where he lived in a small apartment disguised as a mute woman named Dorothy Ciner. In late two thousand his past began to catch up with him when the investigation into Kathie's disappearance was reopened. Investigators suspected Susan Berman might have posed as Kathie on the phone years earlier and planned to question her. Shortly before they could do so Susan was found shot dead in her home. A mysterious note was sent to the police with the word cadaver and a specific misspelling of Beverly Hills.While hiding in Texas Robert became friends with a neighbor named Morris Black. In September two thousand and one Morris's dismembered remains were found in the bay. Robert was arrested and admitted to the killing but claimed it was self defense after a struggle over a gun. He jumped bail and was eventually captured in Pennsylvania while trying to steal a chicken sandwich despite having thirty seven thousand dollars in his car. In two thousand and three a jury incredibly acquitted him of murder in the Morris Black case.The final chapter of this saga occurred when Robert participated in a documentary series called The Jinx. During filming he was confronted with the cadaver note and its unique misspelling of Beverly Hills which matched his own handwriting. In a legendary moment while still wearing a live microphone in the bathroom Robert whispered to himself that he had killed them all. This recorded confession and new witness testimony led to his conviction for the murder of Susan Berman in September twenty twenty one. He was sentenced to life in prison ending a nearly forty year period of evasion. Robert died shortly after his conviction leaving many to believe that the mystery of Kathie's ultimate fate began the dark path he followed for the rest of his life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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