Cooper Lewis ‘26, Layout Director
Famous Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14. They were 78 and 70 years old, respectively. While there was no suspect at first, authorities quickly apprehended their son that evening near the University of Southern California (USC) campus. He was held in an L.A. jail with no bail and no apparent motive.
The afternoon of the murder, a massage therapist arrived at the couple’s home for their typical weekly appointment. When no one answered her at the gate, the therapist called the Reiners’ daughter, Romy, who lived just a block away from her parents. Upon entering the home, they discovered a gruesome scene: Reiner and his wife had been stabbed numerous times, the exact number unknown. The therapist subsequently called 911, and the LA police said that upon first inspection, there was no sign of forced entry. Following further investigation, the police had their first suspect: Nick Reiner.
Nick had been battling a drug addiction for several years and was undergoing treatment in hopes of improving his health. With the support of his mother and father, his future seemed bright. The evening before the murder, the Reiners were at a Christmas party hosted by comedian and television host Conan O’Brien. The couple arrived at the party with Nick following closely, as they were worried about him and had asked O’Brien if their son could come along. Despite undergoing treatment and apparently making progress toward healing, Nick had been relapsing in the days prior, inevitably moving into their guesthouse. Since the murders, reports have claimed that he had been receiving medicated treatment for schizophrenia; however, these reports have not been verified. Other sources claim he had been on methamphetamine benders and had punched holes through walls. As a result, the Reiners felt they needed to bring him along as a plus one.
Nick stood out in the crowd—not because of his height causing him to tower over the other guests, or because he wore a hoodie in a sea of suits and cocktail dresses—but because of his erratic behavior throughout the evening. Walking aggressively through crowds and interrupting conversations to ask partygoers who they were and if they were famous. Comedian Bill Hader said that he was interrupted by Nick, and politely told him he was having a conversation. Nick stared at him for a moment before storming away and soon arguing with his father. Some guests claimed it was a mild disagreement, while others claim it got to the point where O’Brien had to dissuade people from calling the police.
Eventually, the family returned home, and, according to the autopsy, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Rob and Michele Reiner were stabbed to death in their beds. Nick checked into Room 207 at the nearby Pierside Hotel in Santa Monica, booking the room for just a day. When staff later entered the room to clean it, they found the shower full of blood as well as bloodstained sheets and the bedroom window covered with bedsheets.
After finding the remains of her parents, Romy told police that her brother “should be a suspect” because he was “dangerous.” The following medical examiners’ office report ruled the deaths a result of homicide, listing the cause as multiple sharp-force injuries. Nick’s escape was brief, being arrested that evening at a gas station near USC while buying a bottle of Gatorade. Footage shows him throwing his hands in the air and surrendering to police before being arrested and led away in handcuffs; he was then placed on suicide watch at Twin Towers Correctional Facility and is awaiting trial.
Nick was the middle of three children, and his troubled life started when he was young. He was said to have thrown frequent temper tantrums until he was 11. At 14, he began abusing drugs, and by 19, he had been in rehab 18 times. “I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he said in an interview in 2016. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun. If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless.” While in rehab, Nick attempted a career as a screenwriter, with his father eventually turning one of his scripts into the 2015 film Being Charlie about an 18-year-old addict and his famous father. While unsuccessful at the box office, Rob Reiner said it brought him and his son together. Nick did not agree.
On Jan. 6, Nick Reiner was removed from suicide watch in preparation for his trial, in which he is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or even the death sentence, which is still an option in California.
Rob Reiner was famous for his films as well as his political beliefs. In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump placed blame for his murder on “the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affiction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” Widely-known films directed by him include Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, and Misery—all of which are considered classics and some of his best works. Reiner will always be remembered for his films, and Hollywood will be left reminiscing on and rewatching his legacy while mourning the loss of an icon in screenwriting.
Lyon Life 