A new report has revealed that Nick Reiner, the man accused of murdering his acclaimed film director father Rob Reiner and mother Michele, was under a legal mental health conservatorship for a year prior to the killings.
The Conservatorship and Legal Proceedings
Nick Reiner, aged 32, was placed in a mental health conservatorship that lasted from 2020 to 2021, according to information confirmed by the Los Angeles Superior Court. The conservator appointed to his case, licensed fiduciary Steven Baer, described mental illness as "an epidemic that is widely misunderstood" and called the situation a "horrible tragedy."
Reiner now faces charges for the double murder of his parents. His arraignment is scheduled for February 23, following the withdrawal of his previous attorney, Alan Jackson, last week. Jackson stated that "circumstances beyond our control" made continued representation impossible, though he maintained Reiner's innocence under California law. Reiner will now be represented by a public defender.
A History of Mental Health Struggles
Sources indicate that Reiner had received diagnoses of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder at different times. He was reportedly on medication for his condition but switched prescriptions due to side effects approximately one month before his parents were found dead.
Nick Reiner had also been public about his past battles with drug addiction and homelessness, which inspired the 2015 film "Being Charlie," which he co-wrote and his father directed. After achieving sobriety, he told People magazine in 2016 that he had "gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family."
The Night of the Tragedy
Beloved filmmaker Rob Reiner, 79, and his wife Michele, 65, were discovered dead in their Brentwood, Los Angeles, home on December 14. Police confirmed they were victims of a homicide, with reports suggesting injuries consistent with stabbing and no signs of forced entry at the property on Chadbourne Avenue.
The night before the murders, Nick and his father had argued at a party at comedian Conan O'Brien's home, according to family friends who spoke to the Los Angeles Times. Several guests reportedly noted that Nick was acting strangely at the gathering.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has expressed strong confidence in the case, stating, "We are fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murder of his parents." The case has sent shockwaves through the family and Hollywood community, with Rob Reiner's adopted daughter, Tracy Reiner, expressing her profound shock and grief.
