Nick Reiner, the son of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, will be officially charged with the homicide of his parents.
The confirmation comes after investigators discovered the couple were found in their bed with their throats slit. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said the 32-year-old could face capital punishment if convicted.
Highlights
- Investigators now believe Rob Reiner and his wife were attacked in bed while asleep.
- Their son, Nick Reiner, will be officially charged with the homicide of his parents.
- Nick faces the possibility of life in prison, or even capital punishment.
The possibility of a life sentence is also being considered.
Sources close to the investigation said that the 78-year-old director and his 70-year-old wife may have been asleep when they were stabbed inside their $13.5 million Brentwood home, a revelation that has helped establish a far more precise and disturbing timeline of events.
New information suggests Rob Reiner and his wife were attacked in their bed while asleep
Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
According to the source, the Reiners were found in bed with their throats cut, suggesting the attack happened sometime overnight, after the family returned home from a Christmas party hosted by Conan O’Brien on Saturday evening.
“[Nick] could have done it not long after they all went home,” the source claimed. “Meaning he went there and slit their throats in the middle of the night. They were in bed when that happened.”
Image credits: Access Hollywood
As Bored Panda previously reported, Rob Reiner had been involved in a “very loud argument” with Nick during the holiday gathering. One partygoer told People Magazine that Nick was “freaking everyone out,” adding that he was “acting crazy” and repeatedly asking guests whether they were famous.
The Reiners left the party shortly after the confrontation.
Image credits: Mario Tama/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Police Department has not officially confirmed where the bodies were found. However, the claim that both victims were discovered in bed has raised the possibility that they were attacked in their sleep.
Image credits: Mario Tama/Getty Images
One report from Showbiz 411 suggested that Michele Reiner may have still been alive when first responders arrived and later passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The report further claimed she identified her son as the attacker before losing consciousness.
Authorities have not confirmed that account.
Nick had been living in his parents’ guest house and was regularly using substances
Concern for the couple was first raised Sunday afternoon when a masseuse arrived at the Reiners’ home around 2 pm and received no answer at the door.
Their daughter, Romy Reiner, who lives across the street, went to check on the house and discovered the scene. She called 911 shortly afterward.
Image credits: michelereiner
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that first responders were dispatched to the Brentwood residence around 3:30 pm on Sunday for what was initially described as a medical aid call.
Both victims were pronounced lifeless despite efforts to render assistance.
Nick Reiner, one of the couple’s three children, had been living in a guest house on the property at the time of the killings, according to a source close to him.
“Nick had been living in their guest house, the same one he destroyed more than once,” the source told the Daily Mail. “It had been like a revolving door all his adult life.”
Image credits: Nick Reiner/Facebook
The source also described his escalating substance use and violent outbursts.
“He would do m*th and not sleep for days, and then have outbursts, breaking things, punching walls,” the source said. “He was a ticking time b*mb. His dr*g use was getting worse and his parents wanted him out.”
Nick himself acknowledged destructive behavior during a 2018 appearance on the podcast Dopey. During the interview, he confirmed he was a regular user of “uppers” and was prone to violence.
Nick Reiner was set to appear in court today, but his attorney said he had not been medically cleared
After leaving the O’Brien party, Nick allegedly checked into The Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4 am Sunday. A witness told TMZ he appeared “tweaked out,” though there were no visible signs of a physical altercation.
Later that morning, hotel staff discovered disturbing evidence inside the room.
According to TMZ, the shower was “full of blood,” with blood stains on the bed and bedsheets covering the windows. LAPD homicide detectives later interviewed hotel workers as part of the investigation.
Image credits: michelereiner
Nick Reiner was arrested at 9:15 pm Sunday night, booking records show. He was taken into custody roughly 15 miles from his parents’ Brentwood home, near a Metro station close to the University of Southern California campus.
He is currently being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. Bail was initially set at $4 million before later being revoked.
Nick was expected to appear in court on Tuesday. His attorney, Alan Jackson, said he had not been medically cleared to appear.
His charges are two counts of first-degree m*rder, he also faces a special allegation for using a deadly weapon.
“No decision has been made,” the LADA Office said, before clarifying that “charges are just that, they are not evidence.”
“Once he’s medically cleared, [Nick] will be brought to court,” the Office added.
"Let him rot." Netizens argued about the fate of Nick Reiner on social media
