Rob Reiner’s Friend Details Staying in His Home With Nick Reiner and Family Weeks Before Murders
New light is being shed on Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner‘s relationship with their son Nick Reiner.
Cinematographer Barry Markowitz said he stayed with the family at their Los Angeles home just weeks before Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead inside the residence. According to him, Nick—who’s been accused of murdering his parents—appeared to be “on the upswing” after spending years struggling with addiction.
“He looked great,” Barry told Page Six in an interview published Dec. 16. “He helped out, he took out the garbage, he watched TV, he washed dishes.”
The filmmaker continued, “He was just normal in that sense.”
Barry—who stayed with the Reiners in November while visiting L.A. for work—added that his time under their roof was “one big love fest.”
“They eat dinner together,” he shared of the family. “A lot of love, always a lot of love.”
That’s why Barry—who worked with Rob and Nick in 2015’s Being Charlie, an autobiographical film about the 32-year-old’s embattled past—has been rocked by reports that there was recent tension between the father-son duo.
“What’s puzzling the most,” he said, “is that there was so much love.”
Barry continued, “I don’t think it was fake. They had a real bond.”
And while Barry did not get to spend time with Rob and Michele’s other son Jake Reiner, 34, during his visit to the family’s homestead, he said the couple’s daughter Romy Reiner, 27, was also warm and welcoming.
“At dinner time, she comes over and we all bulls–t together,” he remembered, adding that he didn’t notice “anything strange” with the family dynamics. “L. O. V. E. is the only thing I saw.”
Instagram/Michele Reiner
Nick was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder on the night of Dec. 14, shortly after Rob and Michele’s bodies were found inside the family home. Two days later, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that his office would be moving forward in charging Nick with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders.
He also confirmed that Nick will face a “special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife” on his parents.
The D.A. added, “These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.”
For a detailed timeline into Rob and Michele’s deaths, read on.
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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 17 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.”
Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic
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, 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.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
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.
Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage
The Reiners’ Manner of Death Revealed as Homicide
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.”
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Nick Reiner Is Arrested on Suspicion of Murder
The LAPD said their investigation determined that Rob and Michele’s son Nick was “responsible for their deaths.” The screenwriter wasn’t taken into custody until hours after his parents’ bodies were found.
“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.”
E! News was not able to find a lawyer on file to speak on Nick Reiner’s behalf.
Amanda Edwards/WireImag & Ralph Dominquez / MediaPunch via Getty Images
Rob Reiner’s Daughter Tracy Reiner Reacts to His Death
After Rob’s death, Tracy said she’d seen her father the day before his passing.
“I came from the greatest family ever,” she told NBC News. “I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”
Michael Tullberg/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for DIFF
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.”
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images
The Obamas Had Plans to Meet With the Reiners
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Dec. 15, Michelle Obama revealed that she and husband Barack Obama were supposed to see Rob and Michele on the day they were found dead.
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images/TED SOQUI/EPA/Shutterstock
Nick Reiner Hires Alan Jackson—Lawyer for Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey—as His Attorney
Two days after Nick was arrested in connection to the murder of his parents, criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson—who previously represented Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read—confirmed to E! News Dec. 16 that he had been hire as Nick’s attorney in the case.
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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.”
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Nick Reiner’s Murder Charges Announced
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.”
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