Nick Reiner charged with murdering his parents

By Zachary Stieber
and Savannah Hulsey Pointer
Contributing Writers

The son of Rob and Michele Reiner, Nick Reiner, has been charged with killing his parents, officials announced on Tuesday. 

“Today the Los Angeles (County) District Attorney’s Office has formally filed charges against Mr. Reiner for the murder of his parents,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told a press conference. 

The bodies of Rob and Michele Reiner were found at their home in Los Angeles over the weekend, and an investigation uncovered evidence that led officers to their son, authorities said. 

Nick Reiner, 32, is being held without bail. He has previously spoken about his struggles with addiction and homelessness. He worked on a semi-autobiographical film with his father called “Being Charlie” in 2016, which was based partially on their relationship. 

What Happened 

Director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead of an apparent double homicide that took place on Sunday. 

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” the family said in a statement provided to media outlets. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.” 

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, it was notified of an apparent medical emergency a little after 3:30 p.m. on the day of the couple’s death, and found their deceased bodies inside their home. 

Rob Reiner was the son of comedy great Carl Reiner. Rob Reiner has memorable hits from the 1980s and 1990s that continue to be popular today such as “The Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally.” 

He was one of the most active Democrats in the film industry and campaigned on behalf of liberal causes, hosting fundraisers. 

He was also a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, calling him “mentally unfit” in a 2017 interview with Variety and saying that Trump was “the single-most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States.” 

Reiner studied at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Theater, Film, and Television in the 1960s but never graduated, instead joining various improv groups. 

Public Response 

A number of public figures have taken to social media to mourn the pair. 

Actor and producer Rita Wilson posted on Instagram that it was “impossible to reconcile the tragedy of [the Reiners’] deaths with the beauty they offered the world.” 

Actor John Cusack, who worked with Rob Reiner in the film “The Sure Thing,” said on X he was “shocked” by the death of what he called “a great man.” 

Author Stephen King also weighed in, saying that he was “horrified and saddened” at the news of the Reiners’ deaths. Rob Reiner adapted two of King’s novels, “Stand by Me” and “Misery,” into films. 

“Rest in peace, Rob,” King said. “You always stood by me.” 

Trump posted on social media in response to the apparent homicides, saying that a “very sad thing happened” in Hollywood and calling Rob Reiner a “very talented movie director and comedy star” when noting his and his wife’s deaths. 

He also noted their political leanings, saying that their deaths were “reportedly due to the anger [Rob Reiner] caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome.” 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., criticized the president for his comment. 

“Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered,” he wrote in a post on X. 

Several other Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., also criticized the president’s statement. 

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