It has been a mere two weeks since the beloved filmmaker, Rob Reiner, and his wife, the photographer/producer Michele Singer Reiner, were discovered in their Brentwood mansion on December 14th. Despite this, the public still has more questions than answers regarding the exact details of their shocking murders, and it seems this situation may remain unchanged—at least for the time being.
Fans of the This Is Spinal Tap filmmaker have been eagerly awaiting the medical examiner's report on the brutal slayings, as their deaths are at the center of an ongoing investigation. However, the Los Angeles Police Department has announced that they have ordered a "security hold" on any documents "until further notice."
On Monday, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner released a statement that read in part: "On December 24 at 10:30 a.m., the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (Department) received a court order, initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), to place a security hold on Medical Examiner case numbers 2025-19480 and 2025-19481, Robert and Michele Reiner. While the cause and manner of death were previously released on these cases, due to the court order, the information is no longer available. No other case information or records, including the Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice."
Just ahead of Christmas Day, the death certificates for Rob, 78, and his wife, 70, were released and indicated that the official cause of death was "multiple sharp force injuries" (or stab wounds) with the manner of death classified as homicide. It was noted that the Reiners died within minutes of the injuries.
Rob and Michele's 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was arrested just hours after his parents were discovered in the family home by their youngest child, daughter Romy Reiner, 28. Nick, who is being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, has yet to be arraigned due to ongoing issues regarding his competency to stand trial. He did make a brief court appearance on December 17, wearing shackles and a suicide prevention vest, but his arraignment is not officially scheduled until January 7.
Nick has retained high-powered defense attorney Alan Jackson, who has represented big-name clients like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey and who, this summer, helped to secure an acquittal for Karen Read in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe.
Jackson has urged the public to not jump to conclusions about the case, saying: "We ask that during this process, you allow the system to move forward in the way it was designed to move forward—not with a rush to judgement or jumping to conclusions but with restraint and with dignity and with the respect that this system and this process deserve and this family deserves."
The LAPD closed its statement by acknowledging that they understand "the public's interest in these cases and remain committed to transparency when possible. Information will be made available once the court order is lifted."
