Nick Reiner Pleads Not Guilty to Murders of Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner's Son Nick Reiner Details Struggle With Drugs

Years before Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s tragic deaths, their son Nick Reiner shared that he struggled with addiction, even collaborating with his father on the 2015 film Being Charlie about substance abuse.

Nick explained that he had been to rehab 18 times before turning 30. 

“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he told People in 2016. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”

Two years later, Nick recalled an instance when he “wrecked” his home while high on drugs. 

“I went 10 rounds in my guest house,” he shared on the Dopey podcast in 2018. “I got totally spun out on uppers—I think it was coke and something else—and I was up for days on end. I started punching out some things in my guest house.”

Nick Reiner Placed in Mental Health Conservatorship

Nick was placed in a mental health conservatorship from 2020 to 2021, two people with knowledge of the legal arrangement later told The New York Times.  A clerk with the Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed to the outlet that it ended in 2021.

His appointed conservator Steven Baer—a licensed fiduciary—told the NYT that mental illness “is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood and this is a horrible tragedy," but declined to comment further. 

Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner Fight at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas Party on Night Before Couple Is Found Dead

The When Harry Met Sally director and his 32-year-old son got into a heated argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Dec. 13, 2025, multiple sources at the event told People. Family friends also confirmed to the L.A. Times that Rob and Nick fought at the holiday celebration, saying that guests noticed Nick acting strangely.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation told NBC News that Nick was being disruptive at the party and interrupting conversations.

Jane Fonda Says Michele & Rob Reiner Were "Happy" Night Before Deaths

Jane Fonda saw Rob and Michele the night before their tragic deaths.

"I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy," the actress wrote on Instagram Dec. 15. "I am reeling with grief. Stunned."

Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Singer Reiner Are Found Dead in Their Brentwood, Calif., Home

The day after the Christmas party, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of a death investigation at a home in Brentwood, Calif., at about 3:40 p.m. on Dec. 14.

“Once inside the residence, officers discovered two victims,” the LAPD said in a press release, “who were subsequently identified as Robert and Michele Reiner.”

The Robbery Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section (RHD/HSS) started an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.

Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that many family members would be interviewed, per NBC News. In addition to Nick, the couple are parents to daughter Romy Reiner and son Jake Reiner, and Rob also adopted late ex-wife Penny Marshall's daughter Tracy Reiner.

The Reiners’ Manner of Death Revealed as Homicide 

It was determined that Rob and Michele did not die of natural causes, with a source close to the Reiner family telling NBC News that the couple appeared to have died from stab wounds. 

“As a result of the initial investigation,” the LAPD said in a press release, “it was determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide.”

Nick Reiner Seen in Gas Station Footage Before Arrest

Nick Reiner Is Arrested on Suspicion of Murder

Minutes later, the screenwriter was taken into custody near USC.

The LAPD said their investigation determined that Rob and Michele's son was "responsible for their deaths.”

“Nick Reiner was located and arrested at approximately 9:15 p.m.,” police said in a press release, adding as of Dec. 15, “He was booked for murder and remains in custody with no bail.”

The Obamas Had Plans to Meet With the Reiners

Nick Reiner Hires Alan Jackson—Lawyer for Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey—as His Attorney

Nick Reiner's Courthouse Absence Explained

As officials gathered at a Los Angeles courthouse Dec. 16 to announce formal charges against Nick, his attorney told reporters that the screenwriter "has not been medically cleared" to appear in front of a judge.

“Every inmate has to be medically cleared before they can be transported to court," he explained to reporters, per MS NOW. “Hopefully, he’ll be cleared tomorrow and we can get him here.”

Nick Reiner Charged With Murder

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Dec. 16 that his office plans to formally charge Nick with "two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders."

The D.A. also confirmed Nick will also face a "special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife" on his parents.

He added, "These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty."

Nick was formally charged Dec. 16. 

Approximate Time of Death Revealed

Though Rob and Michele's bodies were discovered around 3 p.m. on Dec. 14, they were likely killed around 12 hours prior, according to authorities. 

The district attorney said in a Dec. 16 press release that the murders took place "in approximately the early morning hours of December 14."

Authorities Share Murder Weapon Details

Nick Reiner Appears in Court

Official Cause of Death Revealed 

Nick Reiner's Attorney Alan Jackson Withdraws

At Nick's scheduled arraignment Jan. 7, 2026, his attorney Alan Jackson announced he has withdrawn from the case and Nick will get a public defender, according to an MS NOW reporter in the courtroom.

In response, the Reiner family told E! News in a statement that they "have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."