ONE MAN WAS LINKED TO THREE UNLIKELY DEATHS. WAS HE A KILLER, OR JUST JINXED?
They bickered and fought, simply maintaining the facade of a loving couple. By 1980, they’d split. But the prenup made it difficult for Kathie. She told friends that it was unfair and got herself a lawyer. She wasn’t leaving without a fight. The couple remained legally married, but both started new relationships.
Kathie continued to work hard, studying medicine. She dreamt of becoming a paediatric doctor and having her own clinic. She had a good circle of friends, who she called every day. On 31
January 1982, her best friend Gilberte Najamy, then 29, threw a party. Kathie, also 29, attended alone. Shortly after 7pm, she answered a phone call from Robertand the estranged couple argued.
“Bobby wants me home,” she said, hanging up the phone. But before she left, she turned to Gilberte.
“If something happens to me, check it out. I’m afraid of what Bobby will do.” Gilberte never saw Kathie again.
MISSING PERSON
Days later, on 5 February 1982, Robert reported her missing to the police. He said she’d returned from the party to their house in South Salem, New York state. Kathie got drunk and they’d quarrelled. He drove her to the train station so she could go back to their apartment in Manhattan. Later, he called to make sure she’d got home. She was in bed, watching TV. But the following morning, she called in sick for work. When Robert didn’t hear from her, he presumed she was busy at the hospital, sleeping in dorms. Now, he was worried. Kathie’s disappearance was publicised in the New York Post. Robert even offered a reward but Kathie had vanished. Gilberte was suspicious of Robert, remembering her friend’s last words to her, but years passed and nothing happened. In 1990, Robert filed for divorce from his missing wife, citing abandonment. He moved on with his life, but remained best friends with Susan Berman, who he’d known since university. By 2000, Susan had fallen on hard times. Robert sent her money, calling it a gift. She was a struggling journalist, and two cheques for £20,000 helped her repay her debts. But that Christmas Eve, Susan was found dead after an anonymous envelope was received addressed to “Beverley Hills Police” – with “Beverly” spelled incorrectly. Inside the letter was Susan’s address and the word “cadaver” – a scientific term for a dead body. Susan’s home showed no sign of forced entry, but she’d been shot in the head.
FATAL DISPUTE
The Los Angeles Police Department launched an investigation, suspecting her manager of murder, due to their turbulent relationship. But no charges were brought. Meanwhile, in April 2001, Robert relocated to Texas. His neighbour was a 7
