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Look Who's Here: Confessed Killer Robert Durst Buys Property In Harlem

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Is Robert Durst, the scion of the Durst real estate dynasty, confessed killer, and admitted cross-dresser, moving to Harlem?

He recently bought a property there -- news that's not too comforting to his neighbors, reports CBS 2's Jay Dow.

Funeral home owner Isaiah Owens said he doesn't scare easily.

But his reaction when asked about Durst, the wealthy ex-con who recently bought the townhouse next door, spoke volumes.

"If I go missing, after all these years, you gotta check next door first! Start over here with Mr. Durst. Check to see if he saw me," Owens said.

That's a thinly veiled reference to Durst's past.

"He has kind of like a history of doing some kind of strange things to people," Owens said.

Durst shot his elderly neighbor in the face in 2001, dismembered his body and dumped the pieces into Texas' Galveston Bay.

Durst convinced a jury he killed the man in self-defense, and was convicted on lesser charges.

No one Dow met Monday has actually seen Durst on the block and it's still unclear if he plans to move into his new building. But everyone Dow spoke with has an opinion on whether or not he should.

When asked if she would wind if Durst just owned the building and never came around, resident Bria Dowe said, "He doesn't come around, I'm fine."

"Chopping up a body, you can't be right in the mind. I'm a very forgiving type, but not when it comes to chopping up a body, no," resident Theresa Hartung added.

"He's got the right to do it, but if I had the choice I wouldn't want him living near me," added Stefan Trevisan.

As for Owens, "I just hope that he's going to be a good neighbor, if he's going to be around."

He said it's his business to make the best of a less than desirable situation.

The seller's real estate broker told CBS 2 based on his conversations with Durst, it is likely Durst will treat the townhouse solely as an investment property.

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