What to Know
- Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested Monday in the killings of his parents, director Rob Reiner and wife Michele.
- The couple was found dead Sunday inside their home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood area.
- Nick Reiner remained in jail without bail and was expected to make an initial court appearance some time this week.
- Rob Reiner was a celebrated director whose long list of successful films included “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men” and “This Is Spinal Tap,”
- Michele Reiner was a talented photographer and producer who met her future husband on the New York set of “When Harry Met Sally…”
The 32-year-old son of director Rob Reiner and wife Michele was charged Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his parents at their Los Angeles home.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges at a Tuesday news conference, a day after Nick Reiner was arrested in connection with the tragic discovery of his parents’ bodies at the home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood area. The charges include a special circumstances allegation of multiple murders and an additional allegation that Reiner used a knife.
“These are some of the most serious charges a DA’s office can bring against anybody,” Hochman said.
Special circumstances elevate a murder charge to a more severe level. The charges carry the potential for a possible death sentence, if prosecutors pursue capital punishment.
That decision will be made later, Hochman said.
Nick Reiner remained in jail Tuesday without bail. He was expected to appear in court Wednesday for arraignment.
“Rob Reiner was a brilliant actor and director, an iconic force in our entertainment industry for decades,” Hochman said. “His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, was an equally iconic photographer and producer. Their loss is beyond tragic, and we have we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice.”
Speaking to reporters earlier Tuesday before the charges were announced, defense attorney Alan Jackson said Reiner had not been medically cleared — a standard process when inmates are remanded to the court — to make his first appearance before a judge. Jackson said he was hopeful his client would appear in court later after receiving medical clearance.
Details about a possible motive for the killings were not immediately available. LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said Tuesday the Reiners were found by police in their bedroom.
A source close to Reiner confirmed to NBC News that Reiner and his wife had apparent stab wounds. The medical examiner has not provided details about an official cause of death.
The killings took place sometime early Sunday morning, authorities said. Nick Reiner was later arrested in Exposition Park, south of downtown LA and about 15 miles southeast of Brentwood.
The deaths of Rob Reiner, a celebrated director whose long list of successful films included “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” and Michele Reiner, a talented photographer and producer, stunned the Hollywood community and led to an outpouring of tributes from entertainment industry colleagues, political figures and more.
Nick Reiner was the second of the couple’s three children.
“This case is heartbreaking, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones, but for our entire city,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at Tuesday’s news conference with prosecutors.
The family’s challenges with Nick were well-documented, including battles with drug addiction.
In 2015, Rob and Nick Reiner worked on a coming-of-age film together called “Being Charlie.” Directed by Rob Reiner and co-written by Nick Reiner, the film explored the relationship between a son and father. In a 2016 interview with the Associated Press, they talked about the film.
“It forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,” Rob Reiner told the AP. “I told Nick while we were making it, I said, ‘You know it doesn’t matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already. This has already been good.’ We’ve worked through a lot of stuff.”
In September, the family appeared together at the Los Angeles premiere of “Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.’
Nick Reiner has spoken publicly over the years about his struggles with drug addiction, which began in his teens. He told People in an interview in 2016 that he cycled in and out of treatment facilities with bouts of homelessness and relapses in between.
“I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun,” Nick Reiner told People, adding that, “If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless.”
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