Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s daughter, Romy Reiner, found her dad’s body — but a new report denies previous claims that she turned her brother Nick Reiner into the police as a suspect.
The New York Times offered more insight into the events following Rob and Michele’s deaths at age 68 and 78, respectively, after speaking to sources reportedly close to the family.
When paramedics arrived on the scene at their Brentwood, California home, Romy, 28, allegedly shared that Nick “lived on the property also.” However, “she did not suggest to the authorities that her brother might be a suspect,” the newspaper claimed on Tuesday, December 16.
NYT further reported Romy found her father’s body on Sunday, December 14, after Rob and Michele didn’t open the gate to their home for a planned massage appointment. Romy and her roommate apparently went over to Rob and Michele’s home where the famed director was found in his bedroom. Romy was not initially aware that her mother was also dead and was reportedly informed later by the paramedics.
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner Were Killed in Their Bedroom
LAPD has confirmed that Rob and Michele were found at around 3:30 p.m. local time, revealing that they had suffered apparent stab wounds. Nick, 32, was arrested in connection with his parents’ murders nearly six hours later at a metro station near the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles.
“We owe it to their memory to pursue justice and accountability for the lives that were tragically taken,” the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office shared in a statement on Monday, December 15.
Nick was set to appear in court on Tuesday, December 16, but has not yet been medically cleared, his attorney, Alan Jackson, shared. Nick’s arraignment has been postponed until he receives medical clearance.
The Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced in a press conference on Tuesday that Nick has been charged with two counts of first degree murder. He is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
Prior to their deaths, Rob and Michele attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday, December 13. A source told Us that Nick attended the event alongside his parents and was acting “creepily” toward guests, asking if they were famous. Multiple outlets have since reported that Rob and Michele left the party after the director got into an argument with his son.
Rob Reiner and Wife Michele’s Deaths: Everything We Know So Far
Rob and Michele, who wed in 1989, are also the parents of son Jake, 34k. Rob shared his eldest daughter, Tracy Reiner, with late ex-wife Penny Marshall.
Romy has revealed her close relationship to Nick, calling him her “best friend” during a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, which has since been resurfaced.
The interview was to promote Rob’s movie Being Charlie, which was a semiautobiographical account of Nick’s struggles with addiction and homelessness. The reporter sat down for dinner with the Reiner family during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival where they reflected on bringing Nick’s story to the screen.
“I was there for all of it,” Romy said of her brother at the time. ”It’s weird but good to see it on the screen.”
