Medical Examiner Reveals Cause of Death of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has confirmed the cause of death in the double homicide of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, as "multiple sharp force injuries," with both Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, suffering fatal stab wounds.
The couple's son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings. Authorities confirmed that Nick used a knife in the attack, which took place early on Sunday morning. He was apprehended later that evening in Exposition Park, roughly six hours after the bodies of his parents were discovered at their Brentwood home.
Sources say a loud argument between Rob and Nick had occurred just hours earlier at a party at Conan O'Brien's house. Police are investigating Nick's movements in the hours following the murders, including his stay at a hotel in Santa Monica and a stop at a gas station before his arrest.
The charges against Nick carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, and while the death penalty remains on the table, prosecutors have not yet decided whether to pursue it. Nick's arraignment has been postponed until January 7th, and he appeared in court on Wednesday wearing a suicide-prevention smock. He did not enter a plea on Wednesday, with his lawyer claiming that it was too early to enter a plea in what he described as a “very, very complex” case
The loss has been felt deeply by the Reiner family. In a statement, Rob and Michele’s children, Jake and Romy, shared their grief: "Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends."
While the investigation continues, Nick's troubled history with addiction has also come to light. A past film, Being Charlie, which Rob directed and Nick co-wrote, was based on Nick’s struggles with heroin addiction and his challenging journey through recovery. Despite multiple rehab stints, Nick has spoken openly about the difficulty of overcoming his demons, and his parents’ efforts to help him were often complicated by their own emotional strain.
As the family navigates this unfathomable tragedy, they have asked for privacy and respect: "We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave."
