Kathie Durst's Family Sues Robert Durst's 2nd Wife

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — The family of Kathie Durst has filed a wrongful death suit against Robert Durst’s second wife.

Relatives of Robert Durst’s first wife, whose 1982 disappearance led to a murder indictment against him in Westchester County, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his second wife, who stands to collect millions of dollars from Durst's estate, following his death in prison in January.

Kathie Durst’s family claims in a lawsuit filed Monday that Robert Durst’s second wife, Debrah Lee Charatan, helped him avoid justice for years in connection with their loved one's death and two other killings.

Charatan has never been charged with a crime in the case. Kathie Durst’s disappearance occurred six years before Charatan met Robert Durst.

A lawyer for the McCormack family, Robert Abrams, told the AP that Charatan is believed to be the sole or primary beneficiary of a trust worth tens of millions of dollars. She is the nominated executor of Durst’s estate. Abrams told the wire service that the money was promised to Charatan in exchange for her help helping Durst avoid justice for his role in all three deaths.

The family’s lawsuit, filed in federal court, seeks unspecified damages in excess of $75,000.

Robert Durst died Jan. 10 in a California hospital while serving a life sentence for fatally shooting confidant Susan Berman in 2000 as she was preparing to tell police about her involvement in Kathie Durst’s death.

On Nov. 1, just weeks after his sentencing in the Berman case, a grand jury in Westchester County indicted Durst on a second-degree murder charge for killing Kathie Durst. His death effectively ended that prosecution.

The AP Contributed to this report.

READ ALSO:

• Kathie Durst Disappearance Before Westchester Grand Jury
• Durst Mystery Cottage up for Sale
• Robert Durst Dies In Prison, Ending Westchester Murder Case
• Robert Durst, 78, Gets Life In Prison For Benedict Canyon ...
• Durst Charged In Wife's 1982 Disappearance: Westchester DA
• 'Killed Them All,' Mutters Real Estate Heir Arrested for Beverly Hills Murder
• Fox's 'Judge Jeanine' Predicted Robert Durst's Arrest Before the End of 'Jinx' on HBO