Robert Durst murder trial set to begin in Los Angeles

New York City real estate heir and accused kooky killer Robert Durst is set to go on trial Wednesday for the execution-style murder of his best friend in Los Angeles in 2000.

The 76-year-old eccentric suspect was arrested five years ago for allegedly killing close pal and onetime rep Susan Berman — just before HBO aired the finale to its documentary “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” in which he was supposedly heard on mic saying, “You’re caught! … What the hell did I do? … Killed them all, of course.”

Durst — estimated to be worth $100 million as the son of Manhattan real estate titan Seymour Durst — has been behind bars awaiting trial since his arrest in the case in New Orleans in 2015. Jury selection is set to start Wednesday.

A star witness for the prosecution is expected to be Durst’s onetime best man, Big Apple ad exec Nathan “Nick” Chavin, who testified in a pre-trial hearing that Durst confessed to him that he killed Berman.

Chavin said Durst told him, “I had to. It was her or me, I had no choice.”

Chavin, who was best friends with both the scion and Berman, said Durst also admitted to Berman that Durst killed his first wife, Kathie Durst, who mysteriously vanished in New York in 1982.

“Susan said to me, ‘Bob killed Kathie,’ ” Chavin testified.

Prosecutors will try to prove that Durst, whose life inspired a 2010 Ryan Gosling flick, killed Berman to keep her from squealing on him over Kathie’s death.

Kathie Durst was declared dead in 2017, although her body has never been found, and Durst has not been charged with her suspected murder.

Durst was previously charged in another murder, that of elderly Texas neighbor Morris Black in 2001, but dodged any prison time when a jury ruled it was a case of self-defense. Durst had shot Black, then dismembered his body and thrown the parts in the ocean.

When fleeing Texas after the killing, Durst dressed up as a mute woman and headed for New York.

LA prosecutors have said they will introduce evidence that Durst also killed Black to keep him quiet about what he knew of the real estate heir.

“Kathie’s death was the impetus for all of the tragic events that happened afterward,’’ prosecutors said in court papers. Durst “devised and carried out a diabolical plan to cover up the killing of his wife, which ultimately cost two other people their lives.’’

Berman, the daughter of a reputed LA mob associate, was found lying face-down in her home, shot at point-blank range in the head. A note was later sent to cops that included her address and the word “CADAVER,” leading to the discovery of her body.

Durst has denied that he wrote the note — although even his lawyers say he did.

The producers of “The Jinx” presented Durst with a letter he previously wrote that included block lettering that was nearly identical to the “CADAVER” note — as well as the misspelling of “BEVERLEY,” as in Beverly Hills, in both missives.

The suspect only said at the time that whoever wrote it is the killer.

Since the documentary aired, it surfaced that Durst’s seemingly damning quotes about having “killed them all” were actually pieced together in the editing, and when taken separately, they may not be so bombshell.

“Our defense is, one, he didn’t do it, and, two, they can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did it,” said one of Durst’s lawyers, David Chesnoff. “It is a highly circumstantial case, and we will have strong responses to explain the circumstances.”

Durst faces up to life behind bars if convicted of Berman’s slaying.

With Post wires