By - Summary
- Nick Reiner arrested hours after bodies were found
- Actor-director’s son remained jailed without bond
- Suspect had long history of struggles with addiction
LOS ANGELES, California, Dec 16 – The younger son of renowned Hollywood filmmaker and political activist Rob Reiner was formally charged on Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, who were found slain in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested several hours after the bodies of his father, actor-director Rob Reiner, 78, and his mother, photographer-producer Michele Reiner, 70, were discovered on Sunday afternoon inside the couple’s residence in the affluent Brentwood neighborhood of west Los Angeles.
Officials said evidence gathered by the Los Angeles Police Department led homicide detectives to Nick Reiner, who was taken into custody without incident on Sunday night at a park in downtown Los Angeles near the University of Southern California campus.
Police investigators turned over the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday. Later in the day, prosecutors filed a five-page criminal complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court charging Nick Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder.
The killings rank among the most shocking celebrity-related murders in Los Angeles history and have drawn comparisons to the 1994 stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
“Their loss is beyond tragic,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said of the Reiners at a news conference earlier in the day. “We will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice.”
PROSECUTORS WEIGH CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Hochman said the charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. He noted that prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek capital punishment.
He added that prosecutors “will take the thoughts and desires of the family into consideration” when determining whether to pursue the death penalty.
According to the district attorney and the charging documents, a knife was used in the killings, though authorities declined to provide further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Authorities have made no mention of a possible motive.
When asked whether the suspected murder weapon had been recovered, Hochman said such information would be presented in court. Authorities also said autopsies, which are still pending completion, would establish the precise cause, manner, and time of death.
Several media outlets reported that Nick Reiner had engaged in a heated argument with his parents on Saturday night at a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.
Nick Reiner, the younger of the couple’s two sons and their middle child, has publicly acknowledged a long-term struggle with substance abuse. He has remained in custody without bail at a Los Angeles County jail since being booked on suspicion of murder on Sunday night.
Neither Hochman nor Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell disclosed whether Reiner was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of his arrest, or whether he made any statements to investigators.
Prominent Los Angeles defense attorney Alan Jackson, who is representing Reiner, said his client had not yet been medically cleared to make an initial court appearance on Tuesday, but could be arraigned as early as Wednesday.
Obtaining medical clearance before appearing in court is routine for criminal defendants, Hochman said.
ROB REINER’S HOLLYWOOD LEGACY
Nick Reiner has spoken about periods of homelessness that occurred when he refused to seek treatment for substance abuse, saying he entered rehab for the first of many instances at age 15. Those experiences inspired the movie “Being Charlie,” co-written by Reiner and his father.
“It was the most personal thing I’ve ever been involved in,” Rob Reiner told podcaster Marc Maron in a 2016 interview.
Rob Reiner first gained widespread recognition as an actor for his role on the landmark television comedy All in the Family, where he portrayed Mike “Meathead” Stivic, the liberal, college-educated son-in-law of Archie Bunker, the working-class bigot played by Carroll O’Connor.
He later built one of Hollywood’s most successful directing careers, helming a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Stand by Me, A Few Good Men, Misery, and The American President.
A sequel to the cult-classic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap was released earlier this year, 41 years after the original film’s debut.
Michele Reiner, his wife, was a photographer and producer. Among her notable work was the photograph of Donald Trump that appeared on the cover of his book Trump: The Art of the Deal. She met Rob Reiner while he was directing When Harry Met Sally…, and the couple married in 1989.
A native of New York City, Rob Reiner was the son of the late Carl Reiner, a celebrated comedy writer, actor, and director. Beyond his entertainment career, Rob Reiner was also widely known for his political activism and his outspoken support for the Democratic Party.
Before marrying Michele Reiner, he was married to actress, producer, and director Penny Marshall, best known for starring in the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley. During that marriage, Reiner became the adoptive father of Marshall’s daughter.
