Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of famed Hollywood director Rob Reiner, was under a legal mental health conservatorship for a year prior to being charged with the murder of his parents, according to new reports.
A Legal Guardianship and a Family Tragedy
Nick Reiner's conservatorship lasted from 2020 to 2021, as confirmed by a clerk at the Los Angeles Superior Court to the New York Times. The legal arrangement, which grants one person control over another's affairs, was ended the year before the alleged double homicide. Steven Baer, the licensed fiduciary appointed as Reiner's conservator, described mental illness as "an epidemic that is widely misunderstood" and called the events a "horrible tragedy."
The accused man had reportedly received diagnoses of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder at different times. Sources indicate he was on medication for his condition but switched prescriptions due to side effects approximately one month before his parents were found dead.
Legal Proceedings and Withdrawn Representation
Reiner, who has not yet entered a plea, is scheduled for arraignment on 23 February. His case took a significant turn last week when his high-profile attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from representing him. Outside the courthouse, Jackson stated that Reiner is "not guilty of murder" under California law but cited "circumstances beyond our control" and "beyond Nick's control" for ending his representation, adding he was ethically prohibited from explaining further.
Reiner will now be represented by a public defender. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has expressed strong confidence in the case, proclaiming: "We are fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of the brutal murder of his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner."
The Night Before and a History of Struggle
The bodies of beloved filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were discovered in their Brentwood, Los Angeles, home on 14 December. Police confirmed the couple were victims of homicide, with reports indicating injuries consistent with stabbing and no sign of forced entry at their Chadbourne Avenue property.
Family friends revealed to the Los Angeles Times that Nick and his father had argued at a party at Conan O'Brien's home the previous evening, where several guests noted Nick was acting strangely. The couple were found dead the following day.
Nick Reiner had been open about his past battles with 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 he had "gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family."
Tracy Reiner, Rob's adopted daughter, expressed her shock to NBC News, stating, "I came from the greatest family ever. I don't know what to say, I'm in shock."
