Jeanine Pirro

The Robert Durst murder cases were given special prominence through the HBO documentary series "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Bobby Durst", a series that effectively cracked the case. That Durst was responsible for at least 3 murders seems very clear: the murders were of his wife Kathy, plus a long-term female friend, Susan Berman, and a male apartment mate, Morris Black. Further, Durst's inadvertent private confession in the last episode of the series ("I killed them all, of course") simply corroborated the piles of evidence featured in the documentary. Readers unfamiliar with this case can check Wikipedia for details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Durst

Jeanine Pirro (known to rightwing viewers as a commentator on "Fox News") played a role in all three of the cases. In 2000, as a DA for Westchester County (New York), she reopened the long dormant case of the 1982 disappearance of Robert's wife Kathleen. In addition, once Pirro had arranged to interview Durst's close friend Susan Berman, the latter was murdered (presumably by Durst) before the investigators arrived. Finally, in Durst's trial for the murder of the elderly Morris Black, his defense attorney used Pirro's earlier attempts to prosecute Durst as an excuse for why Durst dismembered and disposed of Mr. Black's body -- supposedly he was terrified of Pirro. The Texasjury, astonishingly, accepted that claim. They found Durst innocent of the murder itself, despite his confession to having cut the body into pieces with a hacksaw before bagging the pieces up and throwing them Galveston Bay..

In this book Pirro recounts the history of the "Durst case", with particular emphasis on her own role; in fact, from her account, one could assume that she was central to the entire case. I agree with the negative reviews at Amazon that find Pirro's account to be egotistical and self-centered, self aggrandizing, full of braggadocio and name-dropping. The tone is often nasty and brittle (no wonder she does well at Fox); and the woman is clearly obsessed with her clothing and her appearance (she routinely reminds us of the brands of designer shoes, dresses, and handbags with which she adorns herself -- as if we care in the slightest).

For my part, I found the tone and content of this book entirely off-putting; and having seen "the Jinx" I didn't learn anything from the book. The book was downright unpleasant to read, and not due to its subject matter, since the author comes across as unpleasant as the alleged serial killer himself. For more objective and informative accounts, readers interested in the case would be better off reading the articles at Vanity Fair, or best of all, viewing the HBO series itself.… (meer)

Man, I don't think I like Jeanine Pirro, but I do have to respect her. She is tough as nails and stubborn as fuck, and while I think calling her the "true hero" of the Robert Durst saga is pushing it a little too far, she's definitely shown a lot more tenacity and loyalty to the truth than a lot of the people who've been in the news about it.

If you've seen The Jinx, there isn't a whole lot of new information here; the appeal is mostly in getting it all from her perspective, which is...frank, to say the least.… (meer)

I have been fascinated by the Robert Durst case ever since I first saw the movie All Good Things, and learned it was based off a true story.

Then came The Jinx, which is what seems to have brought about this book.

Pirro is both the problem and the solution when it comes to He Killed Them All. She has inside information and anecdotes no one else would be able to share. But she also centers a lot of the book on herself, what she has gone through, with a lot of all caps and exclamation points used.

To be fair, she does lay it out in the title-it's about her quest for justice. And she did have to go through quite a lot as a woman in a position of power. I just wish someone had done just a bit more editing before this book went to print.

But regardless, it is a fascinating read. Pirro takes readers through the case from beginning to present day, dissecting what has happened and what she believes to have happened. I found especially interesting the sections where she dissected each episode of The Jinx.

I would definitely recommend this book for readers of true crime, as well as anyone who watched The Jinx.… (meer)