According to two insiders with intimate knowledge of the criminal investigation, Nick Reiner, who is accused of killing his parents, Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, had been prescribed medication for schizophrenia at some point prior to the alleged incident. The identity of the drug and the duration of its prescription remain a mystery, with no further details forthcoming due to the sources' anonymity and lack of authorization to speak publicly.
Reiner, 32, was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday and could face a life sentence or the death penalty if convicted. He appeared in court on Wednesday, dressed in a blue suicide prevention smock frequently worn by defendants deemed a risk to themselves. A judge granted attorney Alan Jackson's request to postpone Reiner's arraignment until January 7, with no plea entered.
Reiner's battle with addiction has been a long and public struggle. As a teenager, he confessed in interviews to becoming addicted to heroin, cycling between rehabilitation centers and experiencing bouts of homelessness. The role of the medication and his drug challenges in the case remains unclear, though family friends told The Times that Reiner had struggled with mental health issues for years and that his parents were relentless in their efforts to get him help.
Authorities have released few specifics, including a suspected motive, in the killings. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that no decision had been made on seeking capital punishment in the Reiners' slayings, with such reviews typically taking months.
Nick Reiner had turned his life around by 2015, co-writing "Being Charlie," a film about a drug-addicted young man whose father is a cold, former movie star running for governor of California. Rob Reiner directed the film, which was co-written with Matt Elisofon. Reiner praised his parents for helping him find sobriety but also expressed guilt for disappointing them and trying to find his own path.
Prosecutors allege that Reiner fatally stabbed his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother sometime in the early morning hours of December 14. Their bodies were discovered in the master bedroom of their home around 3:40 p.m. that day, according to authorities. A massage therapist arrived at the couple's home and, upon not receiving an answer, called their daughter, Romy Reiner, 27, who lived nearby. She discovered the scene and had a friend call 911, according to an unofficial source.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office confirmed their deaths as a result of homicide, listing the cause as "multiple sharp force injuries" in its public database. In a 2015 interview with The Times at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film premiered, Rob expressed regret for valuing the advice of counselors over the voice of his son as he and his wife tried to keep Nick in rehab. "When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen," he said. "We were desperate, and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son." Michele added: "We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them."
After the couple's deaths, a family friend described Rob and Michele as "doing everything for Nick." They had "never known a family so dedicated to a child" and found it "awful" that their efforts had ended in such a tragic way.
