The Jinx Season 2 Episode 2 ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, as it teases what Robert “Bob” Durst said to Nick Chavin to make him go from being his best friend to a key witness in his murder trial. But what exactly did he say?
Although Bob Durst died in prison in 2022, there was some justice in the case — the year prior, the multi-millionaire real estate heir was convicted for the murder of his friend, Susan Berman. And it was thanks, in part, to the 2015 true crime saga The Jinx.
While topping the original docu-series seemed like an impossible feat, creator Andrew Jarecki and his filmmaking crew have proven us all wrong with The Jinx Season 2, which premiered with its debut episode earlier this month.
Over the weekend, Episode 2 premiered and we got to meet Susan and Bob’s best friend, Nick “Chinga” Chavin — an advertising executive by day and a “country porn” musician by night (more on this in a bit).
What did Bob Durst say to Nick Chavin?
During a 2017 hearing, Nick Chavin testified that he had asked Bob Durst about the 2000 murder of their mutual best friend Susan Berman, to which Bob replied, “I had to. It was her or me, I had no choice.”
Nick also testified that Susan had previously told him Bob was guilty of the murder of his ex-wife Kathleen “Kathie” McCormack, who disappeared in 1982. Her body was never found, and while Bob was later charged for her death, he died before the trial could commence.
After Kathie went missing, Susan allegedly told Nick, “Bob killed Kathie.” He testified, “I said, ‘No he didn’t.’ She said, ‘Yes, he did.’” Nick claimed Susan insisted she was “told” by Bob, and that she added, “There’s nothing anyone can do for Kathie and we have to protect him [Bob Durst] now.”
Nick was initially reported as the “secret witness” in the case, only for his identity to be revealed as one of Durst’s best friends shortly after.
Who is Nick Chavin?
As well as being part of a best friend trio with Bob Durst and Susan Berman, Nick Chavin was an advertising executive, and even carried out some work for The Durst Organization before Bob was fired. But as is revealed in The Jinx Season 2, he only took on this job to support him as he pursued his dream career in music.
In the 1970s, Nick was known by the stage name Chinga Chavin, the genre of which he describes as “country porn” (which is also the name of his 1976 album). The reason for this categorization is pretty self-explanatory: he made country-style music with explicit lyrics, including a song titled ‘Cum Stains on the Pillow’.
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Although Andrew Jarecki couldn’t secure Nick for Season 1 of The Jinx, he did for Season 2. Making his debut in last night’s Episode 2, he explains that he met Bob through their mutual friend Susan, and they went on to form a strong bond over the years.
But he’s now receiving criticism for his views on Bob’s crimes after being asked about what he thought of the Morris Black case, the neighbor Durst killed and dismembered in 2001, which he was ultimately acquitted for on self-defense. In response, Chavin said it “didn’t impact” him, adding, “I don’t have that same moral hatred of murder and murderers.”
Numerous viewers have responded to this admission with shock, with one writing on Reddit, “My jaw dropped when he said that. I don’t know why Jarecki didn’t follow up on that statement and glossed right over it in the episode.” Another said, “This guy’s ethics are whack.”
When Bob went on the run shortly before The Jinx finale aired in 2015, LA District Attorney John Lewin and his team had already been investigating the case for a couple of years, as Jarecki revealed that he handed over the evidence they had found in 2013.
Despite the admissions of guilt over Susan’s murder, Nick was reluctant to speak with detectives. Ultimately, it was his wife, Terry Chavin, who urged him to do so. This is explored in Episode 2 as Chavin was frustrated that her husband defended Bob, having been suspicious of him from the get-go. “Nick seemed to be so under his spell in spite of all these murders,” she says.
In an audio recording played in the episode, John calls Terry, who tells him that Nick has more information than he’s letting on. “I’ll be working on him to be more honest with you,” she says. The detectives essentially ambushed Nick, telling him they knew what he had told his wife — the same thing he told the court in 2017.
Although the detective states that Nick hid from him for as long as he could, he believes he “wanted to do the right thing.” Nick finishes by saying that he felt “disloyal” to Susan by not coming forward, especially when she had helped him raise his daughter. So, eventually he agreed to talk.
But it wasn’t easy for Nick, who closes out the episode by saying, “It’s hard for me to do this. No one’s ever gotten this close to my heart and brain as Bob has. It’s hard to imagine the closeness, it just made me glow. I got to stop being protective of Bob Durst. Friendships die hard.”
The Jinx Season 2 Episodes 1-2 are streaming on Max now, while Episode 3 airs on HBO and Max on Sunday, May 5. You can read about where Bob Durst’s wife Debrah Lee Charatan is now, where his brother Douglas Durst is now, and check out more true crime to stream this month.