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Rob Reiner’s Haunting Final Moments Revealed As Devastating New Details Emerge
The final moments in the lives of Rob and Michele Reiner have been revealed by multiple sources, as their son Nick is charged with their brutal killing.
On Sunday, December 14, the legendary film director and his wife were found with their throats slit at their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles.
Rob was 78 and Michele was 68.
Their 28-year-old daughter Romy found the pair’s dead bodies after a masseuse, who had an appointment with Rob, knocked at their door and was met with no response.
After making the harrowing discovery, Romy called the police, who launched a murder investigation.
Later that day, Rob and Michele’s 32-year-old son Nick was arrested in connection with their deaths.
On Tuesday, December 16, he was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance alleging multiple murders.
Couple’s deaths shock the world
Rob Reiner was best known as an actor and director. His breakthrough role came when he portrayed Michael ‘Mike’ Stivic – or ‘Meathead’ – on the CBS sitcom All in the Family.
He would go on to direct some of Hollywood’s greatest films, including This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally….
He married his wife Michele in 1989.
As news of their deaths spread, many prominent figures paid tribute to the pair.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, described Rob’s death as a ‘devastating loss.’ California Governor Gavin Newsom added that he was ‘heartbroken.’
Barack Obama praised Rob’s belief in the ‘goodness of people.’ The former president’s wife, Michelle Obama, later revealed to Jimmy Kimmel Live that she and her husband were set to have dinner with Rob and Michele the night they were found.
Monty Python’s Eric Idle described Rob as ‘a lovely man,’ revealing he had spoken to him mere hours before the discovery of his body.
Ben Stiller said that Reiner ‘was a kind caring person who was really really funny’ and ‘made some of the most formative movies for my generation.’
Nick Reiner: a troubled son
Nick Reiner has long spoken openly about his struggles with addiction and behavioral issues.
From an early age, he appeared to have significant difficulties. Celebrity yoga instructor Alanna Zabel has said she was brought in to work with ‘disruptive’ Nick in the early 2000s.
She told the Daily Mail: “Nicky would barge in like the world was on fire, screaming, into our yoga sessions.”
She added that she had ‘never seen a child like it.’
Zabel later wrote a children’s book about a troubled boy named ‘Little Nicky,’ apparently inspired by the young pupil.
Around the time of his 15th birthday, concerned by his spiralling drug use, Rob and Michele sent Nick to rehab for the first time.
He would have 17 further stays in similar institutions across America, over the following four years.
When he refused treatment, he spent time living rough. He told People: “If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless.”
In 2015, Nick and his father collaborated on Being Charlie, a semi-autobiographical film about a teenager addicted to drugs and his journey towards recovery.
At the time, Rob said their relationship had grown much closer during the process. Nick appeared to agree.
However, this wouldn’t mark the end of Nick’s struggles.
While Nick was sober at the time of the movie’s release, he went on to relapse.
During a 2018 appearance on the Dopey podcast, he described a recent incident when he had ‘got totally spun out on uppers’ and ‘started punching out different things’ in his parents’ guesthouse, adding that ‘everything in the guesthouse got wrecked’.
Family friend said Nick appeared to be ‘on the upswing’
In September, the entire family turned out to support Rob at the premiere of the long-awaited Spinal Tap sequel, The End Continues. Nick was joined by Romy and their older brother Jake.
It would be their last public appearance together.
Cinematographer Barry Markowitz stayed with the Reiner family last month. He told Page Six that Nick seemed to be ‘on the upswing.’
He said: “He looked great. He was sitting and talking with the family. They eat dinner together, old school, and a lot of love, always a lot of love.”
He added that Nick would go out and play tennis or ‘shoot hoops’ during his visit.
Markowitz recalled: “He helped out, he took out the garbage, he watched TV, he washed dishes. He’d bring me something to drink. He was just normal in that sense.”
He noted that he didn’t notice ‘anything strange’ when it came to the family’s dynamics.
Final moments of Rob and Michele’s lives
Rob, Michele and Nick reportedly attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday, December 13, the night before the killings.
TMZ previously reported that the father and son had a ‘very loud argument’ at the bash – with witnesses describing Nick as acting erratically.
Now a source has claimed to NBC News that Nick interrupted comedian Bill Hader during the party and became disgruntled when Hader told him he was ‘in the middle of a private conversation.’
“Nick just stood there and stared before storming off,” the source said, adding that the interaction unsettled other guests.
It is reported that Rob brought Nick to the party to ‘keep an eye on him.’
Guests said Nick displayed ‘antisocial behavior’ which included staring at partygoers.
Sources also told People that Nick was ‘acting crazy’ and ‘kept asking people if they were famous.’
Nick was eventually asked to leave, according to reports.
It was the last time Rob and Michele Reiner’s friends would see them alive.
Killing occurred ‘in early hours’ of Sunday morning
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a press release on Tuesday, December 16, that Nick is accused of killing his parents in the early hours of December 14.
The statement reads: “In approximately the early morning hours of December 14, Reiner is accused of fatally stabbing Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, at their home in the 200 block of South Chadbourne Avenue in Brentwood.
“Nick Reiner fled but was arrested hours later that evening in Exposition Park.”
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Hochman couldn’t confirm an exact time of death for Rob or Michele.
He explained: “We’re waiting on the coroner to be able to try and determine as best they can at this point time of death.”
Statement released by Rob’s friends and collaborators
A statement submitted to the Associated Press by friends and collaborators including Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Larry David pays tribute to Rob Reiner’s legacy.
It reads: “Going to the movies in a dark theatre filled with strangers having a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill.
“Tell us a story, audiences demand of us. Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner 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. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.
“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.
“For the actors, he loved them. For the writers he made them better. His greatest gift was freedom. If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process. They always felt they were working as a team.
“To be in his hands as a filmmaker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.”
It concluded with a quote from one of Rob’s favorite 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.”
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