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Bernice Herstein
Bernice Herstein
Bernice Herstein
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Bernice Herstein (September 6, 1918 – November 8, 1950) was an American socialite, the wife of investor Seymour Durst and mother of their four children Robert, Douglas, Wendy and Thomas Durst.[2]

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Herstein was born into a Jewish family from Germany in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York, the daughter of David Sanders Herstein.[1] She married Seymour Durst in 1940. She died falling from the roof of the family's Scarsdale home during the middle of the night. An employee had called police on discovering Mrs. Durst had climbed out onto the roof of the three-story house; more than a dozen policemen and firemen responded, and spent half an hour making plans to thwart a potential leap. As one fireman ascended a ladder reaching to the roof, Mrs. Durst "flung herself from the roof and plunged past him", and his attempt to grab her bathrobe failed due to her falling weight. A waiting ambulance took her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.[2] Her oldest child Robert (decades later convicted of murder) claimed he was forced to witness the entire event, while Douglas insists all four children were together at a neighbor's house when Herstein perished. Douglas Durst maintains his brother was attempting to blame their father and childhood events for his criminal behavior to garner public sympathy.[3]

References

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Bernice Herstein

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from Grokipedia
Bernice Charlotte Herstein (September 6, 1918 – November 8, 1950) was an American , the wife of prominent New York real estate developer , and the mother of their four children, including . Born into a Jewish family in , Herstein grew up in a middle-class household and married Durst in 1940, settling in the affluent suburb of , where she participated in local social and community activities. Her life, though relatively private, was intertwined with the rising prominence of , a major real estate firm founded by her father-in-law . Herstein's death at age 32 marked a pivotal and tragic event for the Durst family. On November 8, 1950, she fell from the roof of the family's garage at their home on 27 Hampton Road in Scarsdale, succumbing to her injuries at later that evening. The incident occurred during a rescue attempt by the Scarsdale Fire Department, after family members discovered her on the roof; she slipped while a was ascending a to assist her. Contemporary reports described the fall as accidental, possibly influenced by an overdose of medication, but later accounts and family recollections have raised questions about whether it was , leaving the circumstances officially undetermined. She was survived by her husband, children aged 7, 5, 3, and 1, her parents David and Ellen Herstein, and her sister Rosalind Applefeld; funeral services were held at the in Scarsdale, with burial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in . Herstein's untimely death profoundly affected her family, particularly her eldest son , who was present at the home and later cited the trauma as a formative influence in his life. never remarried, and the event cast a long shadow over the family's dynamics amid their growing empire. While details of her personal interests and philanthropy remain limited in public records, her legacy endures through her descendants and the enduring mystery surrounding her passing.

Early life

Birth and family background

Bernice Charlotte Herstein was born on September 6, 1918, in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York, though some secondary sources, including genealogical records, indicate her birth occurred in New York City instead. She was the daughter of David Sanders Herstein, born in New York in 1890, and Ellen Pokress. The Herstein family maintained Jewish heritage with ancestral roots in Germany, reflecting the broader wave of early 20th-century Jewish immigration to the United States by families seeking economic opportunities and escaping European antisemitism. Bernice had one documented sibling, an older sister named Roslyn Herstein, though records on the family's size remain limited.

Childhood and upbringing

Bernice Charlotte Herstein grew up in Scarsdale, , an affluent that experienced a building boom in the , tripling its population by the end of the decade as it developed into a desirable residential enclave for upper-class families commuting to . As the daughter of David Sanders Herstein and Ellen Pokress Herstein, she was raised in a Jewish family with German heritage within Scarsdale's emerging Jewish community, which contributed to the area's social fabric during the interwar years. Records of her specific education and early activities are scarce.

Marriage and family

Marriage to Seymour Durst

Bernice Herstein married on an unspecified date in 1940 in . The ceremony details, including location and attendees, are not well-documented in public records beyond the official New York City marriage registration. Seymour Durst, born in 1913, was a prominent developer who expanded his family's holdings on Manhattan's West Side, continuing the legacy of his father, , a Jewish immigrant from who founded in the early . The Durst family, of Jewish heritage, had established itself as a key player in New York by the time of the . Following the wedding, Herstein transitioned into a role within New York's elite circles, sharing an affluent lifestyle with Durst that reflected the growing prosperity of his family's real estate empire. The endured for approximately ten years.

Children and home life

Bernice Herstein and had four children: (born April 12, 1943), Douglas (born December 19, 1944), (born February 1947), and Thomas (born c. 1950). The family made their primary home in a mansion in , an affluent suburb where the Dursts enjoyed the benefits of Seymour's growing empire. As a mother in this wealthy household, Herstein was deeply involved in raising her children, overseeing their daily routines amid the privileges of upper-class life, including family outings and educational pursuits suited to their status. Sibling dynamics were intense from a young age, with and Douglas engaging in physical altercations that prompted early psychiatric counseling for rivalry issues. Her sons remembered her as a central figure in their pre-adolescent years, actively participating in household activities and providing emotional support within the family's structured environment.

Death

Circumstances of the incident

On the evening of November 8, 1950, Bernice Durst, aged 32, was discovered by family members on the roof of the family garage at their home on 27 Hampton Road in Scarsdale, New York. Contemporary accounts noted that she had become disoriented due to an overdose of medication prescribed for her asthma, which may have contributed to her instability. Family members, including her husband Seymour B. Durst and children, were present in the home at the time. Durst's fall from the roof was described variably in initial reports as an accidental slip, a deliberate jump, or an unintentional tumble, leaving the official cause undetermined as either an accident or . Local newspapers covered the event prominently the following day, with the Scarsdale Inquirer reporting it as a fatal fall from the garage roof and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle characterizing it as a "death leap" or plunge from the three-story home. These accounts highlighted the sudden and tragic nature of the incident but provided no conclusive determination on intent.

Rescue attempts and immediate aftermath

Family members summoned the local fire department upon discovering Bernice Durst on the roof of the family garage at their home in , on November 8, 1950. Fireman Thomas Langan ascended a ladder in an attempt to reach and rescue her, but as he neared the top, Durst slipped and fell approximately 40 feet to the driveway below. Durst was quickly transported to via police ambulance, where she died later that evening from injuries sustained in the fall at the age of 32. Funeral services were conducted the following day at the in Scarsdale, with interment at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in . Contemporary newspaper accounts described the incident as an accidental fall, potentially exacerbated by an overdose of asthma medication, though family members later indicated a private acknowledgment of ; no formal investigation was conducted, and the case was closed without a conclusive public ruling on accident versus . The tragedy plunged her husband, , and their four young children—aged 7, 5, 3, and 1—into immediate shock and grief, with the children reportedly awakened and relocated to neighbors' homes during the emergency.

Legacy

Impact on family

Bernice Herstein's death in 1950 left her husband, , a widower at age 37, responsible for raising their four young children alone. Seymour never remarried and immersed himself in the family business, expanding through key developments in Manhattan's corridor during the and . The loss profoundly affected the children, who were all under 10 at the time, with eldest son aged 7 and the others—Douglas, Thomas, and Wendy—younger. In their affluent Scarsdale home, the sudden absence of their mother disrupted daily family life, creating an environment of emotional upheaval amid material comfort. later recounted being made to the incident from a by his father, an experience that reportedly contributed to his early moodiness and withdrawal. The tragedy also sowed seeds of tension among the Durst siblings, evident in later disputes over the details of the event. Douglas Durst, for instance, contested Robert's account, insisting the children were taken to neighbors and did not witness the fall, highlighting ongoing familial rifts stemming from the unresolved circumstances. Family histories often reference this early trauma as a defining moment, linking it to patterns of emotional distance and instability in the household without further resolution.

Portrayals in media

Bernice Herstein's life and death have been depicted primarily through the lens of her son 's notoriety, rendering her an indirect figure in that explores family trauma and its consequences. In the 2015 documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, directed by , Herstein appears as a pivotal early influence on Robert's psyche, with the series examining her 1950 death—depicted as a possible or accident from the family home's roof—and its lasting emotional impact on him during childhood episodes. The program includes archival footage, family interviews, and Robert's own recollections, portraying her as a tragic matriarch whose unexplained demise contributed to the family's dysfunction, though conflicting sibling accounts challenge Robert's version of witnessing the event. This portrayal underscores her role in shaping Robert's troubled path, as detailed in the first season's focus on his early life. Herstein inspired the maternal character in the 2010 film All Good Things, also directed by Jarecki and starring as a fictionalized analogue. The movie loosely dramatizes the Durst family dynamics, including a recreated scene of the mother's fatal fall based on Robert's account, highlighting her elegant background and the psychological scars left on her son. Critics noted the film's emphasis on her poised, upper-class persona as a contrast to the ensuing family unraveling, drawing from dynasty lore without direct naming. Print media has revisited Herstein's story amid Robert's scandals, often through investigative profiles on conflicting family narratives. A March 2015 Vanity Fair article by , "The Fugitive Heir," delves into her death as a foundational trauma, citing police reports and sibling testimonies that dispute Robert's claims of presence at the scene. Similarly, a January 2015 piece covers Douglas Durst's rebuttal to The , accusing Robert of fabricating details about Herstein's final moments to portray himself as a traumatized . The echoed these tensions in a February 2015 interview with Douglas, emphasizing how Herstein's ambiguous demise fueled decades of familial discord. Following Robert Durst's death in January 2022, media references to Herstein resurfaced in obituaries and retrospectives, linking her legacy to the broader Durst family empire and unresolved mysteries. The obituary highlighted her influence on Robert's instability. These post-2022 accounts tie her story back to the enduring cultural fascination with the family's secrets. In April 2024, the series The Jinx: Part Two continued this exploration, revisiting Herstein's death as a possible accident or and its role in Robert's , featuring additional family interviews and archival material that underscore conflicting accounts of the event.

References

  1. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/the-jinx-sequel-docuseries-robert-durst-hbo-1234868796/
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/20/obituaries/seymour-b-durst-real-estate-developer-who-led-growth-on-west-side-dies-at-81.html
  3. https://news.hrvh.org/veridian/?a=d&d=scarsdaleinquire19501110.2.35
  4. https://www.ancestors.familysearch.org/en/G94P-KWR/bernice-charlotte-herstein-1918-1950
  5. https://www.politico.com/media/story/2015/01/durst-says-brother-lies-about-mothers-death-in-hbo-show-003396
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/nyregion/a-durst-sibling-recounts-the-violent-ripples-below-a-charming-surface.html
  7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95234057/bernice_charlotte-durst
  8. https://www.geni.com/people/Bernice-Durst/6000000018620039411
  9. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/G94P-KWR/bernice-charlotte-herstein-1918-1950
  10. https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/bernice-c-herstein-24-pl0t3w
  11. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/G945-31W/david-sanders-herstein-1890-1966
  12. https://www.businessinsider.com/scarsdale-new-york-east-coast-richest-town-photo-tour-2019-3
  13. https://www.scarsdale.gov/1076/History
  14. https://propmodo.com/the-durst-organization-sets-its-sights-outside-of-new-york-city/
  15. https://jewishjournal.com/judaism/164809/
  16. https://nypost.com/2022/01/10/nyc-real-estate-heir-robert-durst-dead-at-78/
  17. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/10/obituaries/robert-durst-dead.html
  18. https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/richest-billionaires/douglas-durst-net-worth/
  19. https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/find/person/px4444260r28646u968
  20. https://nypost.com/2003/11/12/hell-do-it-again-says-smug-slayers-angry-brother/
  21. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/nyregion/for-durst-family-arrest-brings-a-tremendous-sense-of-relief.html
  22. https://www.nydailynews.com/2022/01/10/convicted-killer-robert-durst-dead-at-age-78/
  23. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/52904906/
  24. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/21/nyregion/two-decade-spiral-into-suspicion-long-after-wife-disappears-heir-vanishes-after.html
  25. https://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2021/11/01/robert-durst-murder-case-timeline-history/6233327001/
  26. https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/03/robert-durst-murders-wife-susie-berman
  27. https://www.hbomax.com/shows/jinx-the-life-and-deaths-of-robert-durst/2039343b-3fa2-400c-8342-bcb8d308ba14
  28. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4485260/
  29. https://variety.com/2010/film/reviews/all-good-things-1117944133/
  30. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/movies/03all.html
  31. https://nypost.com/2015/02/05/the-durst-case-scenario-for-hbos-new-documentary/
  32. https://www.ft.com/content/75c0cc86-3055-4014-960f-0b81476d944a
  33. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-robert-durst-saga-unfold-hbo-jinx-conviction-beyond-rcna149001
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