‘Beyond tragic’: Rob Reiner’s son charged with murder of his parents

Los Angeles: Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, which stunned their communities in Hollywood and Democratic politics, where both were widely beloved.

Nick Reiner, 32, was charged with killing the 78-year-old actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a news conference with Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.

“Their loss is beyond tragic and we will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice,” Hochman said.

Along with the two counts of murder, prosecutors added special circumstances of multiple murders and a special allegation that the defendant used a dangerous weapon, a knife. The additions could mean a greater sentence.

Hochman said his office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty in the case.

“This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones but for our entire city,” McDonnell said. “We will continue to support the Reiner family and ensure that every step forward is taken with care, dignity and resolve.”

The announcement of the charges came two days after the couple was found dead from apparent stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later in the Exposition Park area near the University of Southern California, about 6.4 kilometres from the crime scene. He is being held in jail without bail.

Nick Reiner was expected to make an initial court appearance, but his attorney, Alan Jackson, said he was not brought from jail to the courthouse for medical reasons and that the appearance would not come before Wednesday (Thursday). He told reporters outside the courthouse that he did not know what the medical issue was.

An email sent to Reiner’s lawyer after the charges were announced was not immediately answered, and Nick Reiner has not yet entered a plea.

Rob Reiner was the Emmy-winning star of the sitcom All in the Family who went on to direct films including When Harry Met Sally... and The Princess Bride. He was an outspoken liberal activist for decades and major Democratic donors. Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer, movie producer and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. They had been married for 36 years.

Representatives for the Reiner family did not respond to requests for comment. Police haven’t said anything about a motive for the killings.

Jackson is a high-profile lawyer who represented Harvey Weinstein at his Los Angeles trial and Karen Read at her trial in Massachusetts. He was a central figure in the HBO documentary on the Read case.

Investigators believe Rob and Michele Singer Reiner died from stab wounds, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. The official, who was briefed on the investigation, could not publicly discuss the details and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Rob Reiner was the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, who died in 2020 at age 98.

Some of Rob and Michele’s closest friends, including actors Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Martin Short and Larry David, on Wednesday (AEDT) released a statement mourning the couple and praising their love of film and country.

“Rob Reiner was not only was a great comic actor, he became a master storyteller. There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game,” the group said in a statement.

“His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant.”

Other signatories to the letter included writer Alan Zweibel, composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman and director Barry Levinson.

“Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved, he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner,” the statement said.

It concluded with a quote from one of Reiner’s favourite films, It’s a Wonderful Life: “‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’. You have no idea.”

Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar as the star of Rob Reiner’s 1990 film Misery, also paid tribute to the couple.

“I loved Rob,” Bates said in a statement. “He was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist. He also fought courageously for his political beliefs. He changed the course of my life. Michele was a gifted photographer.”

Former US president Bill Clinton called the couple “good, generous people who made everyone who knew them better.

“Hillary and I are heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our friends Rob and Michele Reiner,” he said in a statement. “They inspired and uplifted millions through their work in film and television.”

Three months ago, Nick Reiner was photographed with his parents and siblings at the premiere of his father’s film Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.

He had spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction, cycling in and out of treatment facilities with bouts of homelessness in between through his teen years. Rob and Nick Reiner explored — and seemed to improve – their relationship through the making of the 2016 film, Being Charlie.

Nick Reiner co-wrote and Rob Reiner directed the film about the struggles of an addicted son and a famous father. It was not autobiographical but included several elements of their lives.

“It forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,” Rob Reiner told the AP in 2016. “I told Nick while we were making it, I said, ‘You know it doesn’t matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already’ ”

Rob Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including This is Spinal Tap and A Few Good Men.

He met Michele Singer Reiner on the set of When Harry Met Sally, and their meeting would inspire the film’s shift to a happy ending, with stars Billy Crystal, one of Reiner’s closest friends for decades, and Meg Ryan ending up together on New Year’s Eve.

US President Donald Trump on Monday blamed Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition to him for the actor-director’s killing, delivering the unsubstantiated claim in a social media post that seemed intent on decrying his opponents even in the face of a tragedy.

AP

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