Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of legendary Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, has made his first court appearance after being charged with their murders. The defendant, charged with two counts of first-degree murder, waived his right to enter a formal plea during a brief hearing at a Los Angeles court on Wednesday.
A Festive Party Turns to Tragedy
The events leading to the arrest began at a star-studded Christmas party hosted by comedian Conan O'Brien in the Pacific Palisades on Saturday, December 13. According to sources present, Nick Reiner was seen behaving erratically, reportedly "freaking everyone out" and asking guests if they were famous. The evening escalated when he was overheard having a heated argument with his father, Rob, 78, who allegedly rebuked his son for inappropriate behaviour in someone else's home.
Rob and Michele Reiner, 70, are said to have left the party early following the confrontation. Their bodies were discovered the following afternoon in the master bedroom of their Brentwood mansion. A masseuse, arriving for a scheduled appointment, found no answer at the gate and alerted the couple's daughter, Romy, who lives nearby. She entered the home and discovered her father's body, prompting a 911 call. Paramedics arriving at approximately 3:30pm later confirmed both parents were deceased from "multiple sharp force injuries".
The 24-Hour Mystery and Arrest
Investigators are meticulously tracing Nick Reiner's movements in the hours after the party and before his arrest. CCTV footage shows him walking past a gas station near his parents' home around 11:16pm on Saturday. He then checked into Room 207 at the Pierside Santa Monica hotel at approximately 4:15am on Sunday. Hotel staff later reported the shower was "full of blood" and the windows were covered with bedsheets.
His trail went cold until Sunday evening, when he was captured on CCTV at an Arco gas station near Exposition Park in South Los Angeles around 8:20pm. He purchased a sports drink and was arrested without incident by police across the street at about 9:15pm. He is now being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
A Troubled History and a Family's Anguish
Nick Reiner's long-documented struggles with drug addiction and mental illness cast a shadow over the proceedings. In past interviews, his parents expressed regret over how they handled his addiction, with Rob Reiner stating in 2015, "When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen." Nick himself claimed in 2016 to have been to rehab 17 times and experienced repeated homelessness after refusing his family's interventions.
Despite these challenges, the family appeared to have reconciled in recent years, collaborating on the 2015 film 'Being Charlie', inspired by Nick's battles. The other Reiner children, Jake and Romy, released a heartbroken statement calling their parents "our best friends".
Outside the courthouse, Nick Reiner's defence lawyer, Alan Jackson, urged the public not to rush to judgement, citing "very complex and serious issues associated with this case". Reiner's next arraignment hearing is scheduled for January 7, 2025. The charges include a special circumstance of multiple murders, making him eligible for the death penalty in California.
