What we know about Nick Reiner, the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, charged with their murder
Director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were discovered dead on December 14th at their family home in Brentwood, California.
The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, aged 32, was booked by the Los Angeles Police Department shortly after Rob and Michele’s bodies were found. He has since been charged with murdering both of his parents.
Nick Reiner was also due to appear in court in Los Angeles on December 16th. However, he was not medically cleared to do so, according to his lawyer, Alan Jackson.
If found guilty, Nick Reiner could be sentenced to a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nick Reiner is yet to enter a plea.
Below is a full breakdown of events, as well as more information about Nick, the Reiner family and the ongoing investigation process.
- Nick Reiner not medically cleared to appear in court after arrest
- Nick Reiner charged with murdering his parents
When were Rob and Michele Reiner killed?
The bodies of the couple, who had been married since 1989, were discovered with fatal stab wounds at 3pm local time in Los Angeles on December 14th. However, authorities have since said that they are believed to have died in the early hours of the morning.
A press release published by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office reads, “In approximately the early morning hours of December 14, Reiner is accused of fatally stabbing Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, at their home in the 200 block of South Chadbourne Avenue in Brentwood.”
The press release also stated that Nick has been charged with “fatally stabbing” Rob and Michele. However, their official cause of death has yet to be revealed by authorities.
According to CBS News, it was Rob and Michele’s daughter, Romy, who discovered their bodies.
Additionally, it was reported by CNN that the Reiners, including Nick, had engaged in an argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on the evening of December 13th and left the gathering shortly afterwards.
When did the police arrest Nick Reiner?
Nick was initially taken into custody on December 14th. It was confirmed at a press conference on December 16th by Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton that Reiner was arrested at Exposition Park near the University of Southern California campus.
Reiner did not resist his arrest, which occurred six hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered at their Brentwood home, and police allege that he fled the crime scene.
In a press release, the authorities said on December 15th, “Nick Reiner was located and arrested at approximately 9:15 pm”, and they also confirmed, “He was booked for murder and remains in custody with no bail”.
Then, on December 16th, Reiner was officially charged with two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. Reiner also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman also outlined the difficult process of working on cases of this nature involving family members, saying in a press conference, “Prosecuting cases involving family violence are some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching we face because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes.”
Nick is currently being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles.
What is the sentence for a crime of this alleged nature?
Due to the severity of the charges made against Reiner, it has been confirmed by police officials in Los Angeles that he could possibly face the death penalty if found guilty.
Reiner could also be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
An arraignment is set to be scheduled for a later date.
Earlier this year, District Attorney Hochman allowed county prosecutors to once again seek the death penalty. However, he insisted that this form of punishment would be reserved for the “most egregious” crimes and only used in “exceedingly rare cases”.
Notably, there has not been a prisoner executed in California since 2006.
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Nick Reiner’s screenwriting career
Reiner was a screenwriter who collaborated with his father in 2015 on the semi-autobiographical movie, Being Charlie. The pair co-wrote the film together, with Rob also serving as a director on the project.
The film is loosely based on the relationship between Nick and Rob. In Being Charlie, the lead character struggles with addiction problems as a teenager, as well as a complex relationship with his successful father.
While the film flopped at the box office, it was a source of pride for Rob, who told AOL Build in 2016, “It’s by far the most personal thing that I’ve ever done. But the fact that we were dealing with things that Nick had gone through and how I had related to it and how his mother had related to it, it forced me to have to see more clearly and understand more deeply what Nick had gone through.”
Although much of the film is a work of fiction, Nick told People in 2016 that he did briefly experience a bout of homelessness like the protagonist in Being Charlie, sharing, “When I was out there, I could’ve died.”
He also said, “It’s all luck. You roll the dice and you hope you make it,” and “there was a lot of dark years there”.
Being Charlie is the most recent screenwriting credit of Nick’s career.
Rob Reiner’s recent resurfaced comments on Nick
In September, Rob spoke to NPR and reflected on making Being Charlie. The Spinal Tap director opened up about his son’s addiction problems, “He’s been great… hasn’t been doing drugs for over six years.”
The filmmaker added, “He’s in a really good place.”
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Nick had been to rehab 18 times by the age of 22.
In the same conversation with NPR, Rob highlighted one key difference between himself and the father character in Being Charlie. In the film, the father is a former Hollywood star who is eyeing up a move into politics and neglects his family for the sake of his career, which Reiner insisted he never did, stating, “I was never, ever too busy.”
“I mean, if anything, I was the other way; I was more hands-on and trying to do whatever I thought I could do to help,” the director continued. “I’m sure I made mistakes and I’ve talked about that with him since.”
Nick was also photographed alongside his father and the rest of their family at the Los Angeles premiere for Spinal Tap II in September.
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