Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of acclaimed director Rob Reiner, was charged with murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, on December 14, 2025. The killings, which took place in their Brentwood, Los Angeles home, were discovered by their daughter in the master bedroom at about 3:40 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Times. Two days later, on December 16, prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against Nick. A TMZ report revealed that Nick had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had recently undergone a medication change that allegedly made him “erratic and dangerous.”
Prior to the murders, Nick had been under the care of a psychiatrist and had received treatment at a Los Angeles-based rehab facility that specializes in substance abuse and mental health conditions. In the month before the killings, his behavior reportedly worsened. Doctors were adjusting his medications, but the results were unsatisfactory, according to sources that spoke to TMZ.
Nick’s struggle with addiction began in his teens. By age 22, he had entered and exited rehab 18 times, a fact reported by People magazine. He publicly discussed his drug use and homelessness, experiences that later inspired the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which he wrote and whose direction was handled by his father.
On December 13, Rob, Michele, and Nick attended a party hosted by Conan O’Brien. Guests recalled that Nick was acting strangely, staring at people and seeming to be under the influence. The family returned to their Brentwood home that evening, where Nick also resided in the guest house. The following morning, Nick checked into Santa Monica’s Pierside Hotel. Hotel staff later found a shower full of blood and blood on the bed.
Surveillance footage captured a few hours after the parents were found dead. It shows Nick entering a gas-station convenience store to purchase a bottled beverage. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested near the Expo/Vermont Metro Station in Exposition Park, police said.
Nick was arrested sometime after 9 p.m. on December 14, 2025, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He first appeared in court at an arraignment hearing on December 18, handcuffed and wearing an anti-suicide vest. The arraignment was postponed until January 7, 2026, because his attorney, high-profile defense lawyer Alan Jackson, explained that Nick had not been medically cleared to appear, citing a procedural issue.
“Every inmate has to be medically cleared before they can be transported to court, and he has not been medically cleared,” Jackson told KTLA. “It’s just a procedural issue.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said, “Prosecuting these cases involving family members are some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching cases this office faces because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved.”
Jake and Romy Reiner, two of the couple’s children, released a statement: “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
Nick is being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted on all charges, he could face life in prison or the death penalty. Hochman told the Los Angeles Times that no decision had been made on seeking capital punishment in the Reiners’ slayings.
Despite the gravity of the case, some aspects of Nick’s public life remain in the spotlight. He was seen at the premiere of “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” on September 9, 2025, at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood in Los Angeles, a role that drew attention to his ongoing legal troubles. His earlier appearances at film events, such as the AOL Build Presents: “Being Charlie” in 2016, highlight the contrast between his artistic contributions and the violent actions that now define his legal trajectory.
With the arraignment set for January 7, the legal proceedings will continue to unfold. The case underscores the complex interplay between mental health, addiction, and familial violence, and it will likely remain a focal point of public and legal scrutiny for months to come.
