( CNN ) She married a man whose first wife mysteriously disappeared . And she stood by him even after he admitted killing a neighbor and chopping up the body . But who is Debrah Lee Charatan , the wife of millionaire heir Robert Durst ? And what role has she played in his life ? Charatan has n't spoken publicly since her husband 's arrest in New Orleans over the weekend , and CNN was unable to reach her for comment . In `` The Jinx , '' the HBO documentary about Durst 's life , she appears in a police interview from more than a decade ago . The series also includes excerpts from jailhouse recordings of phone conversations between Durst and Charatan . Charatan says she met Durst in 1988 , six years after his first wife went missing . The two were married in a rushed ceremony just weeks before Durst 's longtime friend Susan Berman turned up dead in Beverly Hills , California . This week , the Los Angeles County District Attorney 's Office charged Durst with first-degree murder in that case . It 's an accusation he has long denied . He also has said he had nothing to do with his first wife 's disappearance . In a 2003 trial , he admitted he 'd shot a neighbor in Galveston , Texas , and dismembered the body , but was acquitted of murder after arguing he 'd acted in self defense . Recorded jailhouse calls from Durst 's imprisonment during that case suggest that Charatan was his rock . `` Am I supposed to be smiling or am I supposed to be grim ? '' Durst asks in one conversation discussing how he should appear during his trial . Charatan quickly replies , `` I would just have as close to no expression , yeah , that 's what I think . '' She was also a driving force behind the decision to fire attorney Michael Kennedy , a lawyer Durst 's wealthy real estate developer family had tapped to handle the case . The insanity defense Kennedy was planning to use , she said at the time , could have meant both Durst and Charatan were cut out of the family fortune . `` What he does n't want is me to get any of the trust money later on , since I 'm not your wife because you were incompetent at the time , OK , that means they are the only ones who can make your decisions , '' she says in another call . Like Durst himself , Charatan is a powerful player on the New York real estate scene . `` She 's not some opportunistic woman who came into Bob 's life for monetary gain . She was very successful , a millionaire several times over long before she met Bob , '' said Amir Korangy , publisher of TheRealDeal.com . Susan Criss , the retired judge who presided over the 2003 trial , said from listening to hours of tapes and testimony that it 's clear that Charatan is motivated by financial gain . `` It 's very clear that she only cares about the money , '' Criss said . Some former friends and employees described Charatan in less than glowing terms . Former employees have successfully sued her for failing to pay commissions . According to sources , she only briefly lived with Durst and they are now separated , though still married . Why does n't the HBO documentary feature any more recent interviews with her ? Charatan did n't want Durst to participate in `` The Jinx , '' Korangy said , and she has n't spoken with him since it started airing . CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet and Erin Burnett contributed to this report .
Debrah Lee Charatan is Robert Durst 's second wife . She has n't spoken publicly since his arrest in California . She told police she met Durst in 1988 , six years after his first wife went missing .