Los Angeles prosecutors have charged Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, with two counts of first-degree murder after the couple were found dead at their home in the Brentwood neighbourhood of the city.
Authorities say the bodies of Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 70, were discovered on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Nick Reiner was arrested hours later near the Exposition Park area, close to the University of Southern California, and that he did not resist. Prosecutors have said the case was presented by police to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and that formal charges were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman, announcing the case at a news conference alongside McDonnell, described the deaths as a tragedy. “Their loss is beyond tragic and we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice,” Hochman said. McDonnell said: “This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones but for our entire city.”
The couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner, was reported to have found her parents’ bodies and contacted emergency services. TMZ, citing what it described as information given to police, reported that Romy Reiner told officers a family member “should be considered a suspect” because he was “dangerous,” with that suspect described as Nick Reiner. Prosecutors and police have not publicly outlined a motive, and they have said key questions, including precise causes and times of death, would be addressed through autopsies and court proceedings.
Hochman said the charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole, or capital punishment, but that prosecutors had not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty. “We will take the thoughts and desires of the family into consideration,” Hochman said, when asked about how that decision would be made. Prosecutors have also alleged a special circumstance of multiple murders and have said the case includes an allegation that the defendant used a deadly weapon, described as a knife.
Nick Reiner was expected to make an initial court appearance this week, though his attorney, Alan Jackson, said his client required medical clearance and was not brought to court as scheduled, with the proceeding postponed. Authorities have said he has been held in custody since his arrest.
While investigators have not offered a public theory for why the killings happened, the case has revived attention on Nick Reiner’s long-documented struggles with addiction and instability, much of it publicly discussed by the Reiners themselves in the past. In reporting on the case, Reuters noted that Nick Reiner has acknowledged periods of homelessness connected to substance abuse and refusal of treatment, and that those experiences informed the making of the 2015 film Being Charlie, co-written by Nick Reiner and his father.
In an earlier interview about that project, Rob Reiner spoke about the significance of the film for their family. “It was the most personal thing I’ve ever been involved in,” Rob Reiner said in 2016, according to Reuters, when discussing the story and its roots in his son’s experiences.
Nick Reiner has also spoken openly about addiction in interviews over the years. In a 2018 appearance on the recovery podcast Dopey, he described severe episodes of drug use. “I was totally spun out on uppers,” he said, in a quote included in the VT report linked from the Facebook post. In that same reporting, Nick Reiner described a pattern of relapse and treatment efforts stretching back to adolescence.
Police have said evidence gathered by homicide detectives led them to Nick Reiner as the suspect, but they have not disclosed what that evidence consists of, and officials have declined to confirm whether he made statements to investigators after his arrest. Hochman said certain details, including whether a suspected weapon had been recovered, would be addressed through court proceedings.
News coverage of the case has also included accounts of a reported argument involving Nick Reiner in the hours before the bodies were found, including ABC7’s reporting that sources said Rob and Nick Reiner had argued at a holiday gathering on Saturday night and that Nick was seen behaving oddly. Neither police nor prosecutors have made those claims part of their formal public description of the case, and Hochman said unanswered questions would be tested in court.
Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement following the deaths, calling the killing a loss for Los Angeles and for the country. “This is a devastating loss for our city and our country,” she said, adding: “Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice.”
Rob Reiner was a prominent figure in American entertainment and political life for decades, first achieving national fame as an actor on the television sitcom All in the Family, in which he played Michael “Meathead” Stivic. He later became one of the most successful and recognisable directors of modern Hollywood, with credits that include This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery and A Few Good Men. In recent years he remained publicly active in politics and social causes, using his platform to campaign and speak on issues ranging from democracy and voting to social justice.
Michele Singer Reiner worked as a photographer and producer and was known for activism of her own, including on LGBTQ+ rights. The couple were married for decades and were a familiar presence at industry events, political fundraisers and philanthropic causes.
On Tuesday night, a group of friends and fellow entertainers released a joint statement mourning the couple, according to the Associated Press. “They were a special force together — dynamic, unselfish and inspiring,” the statement said. “We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.” The statement was attributed to a circle that included prominent comedians and actors who had worked with Rob Reiner over many years.
The investigation now moves into the court system, where prosecutors will be required to outline the case against Nick Reiner and defence lawyers will have the opportunity to challenge the allegations and evidence. Hochman has said investigators are still awaiting results that will clarify details about the deaths, including medical findings. Police have said the case remains active and that further information will be presented in court rather than litigated publicly through briefings.
For a family that had, at times, spoken candidly about addiction and its consequences, the allegations and the deaths have left a public shock that extends beyond Hollywood. Prosecutors have stressed that the legal process is in its early stages and that decisions on possible capital punishment have not been made. Nick Reiner, like any defendant, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
