Nick Reiner is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, which carries life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. The son of the late Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner allegedly stabbed the couple to death on December 14. Their bodies were discovered by their daughter, Romy, who said immediately that a family member was responsible. The pair was found stabbed to death in their bedroom.
Nick had a history of violent outbursts stemming from his drug use. He’d been to rehab some 17 times before he was 22. He reportedly damaged the home significantly during meth-induced rage fests. It seems like an open-and-shut case. Yet even those who’ve been caught dead to rights plead not guilty. In Nick’s case, his not guilty plea is due to his schizophrenia diagnosis. Based on reports from TMZ, his medications were altered, which sent him off the reservation (via NY Post):
🚨 Nick Reiner will plead not guilty to murdering his parents—and here's the exact reason why. pic.twitter.com/7zDOB4aBR7
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 19, 2025
JUST IN: Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the weeks leading up to the brutal slaying of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. Sources tell TMZ the medications he was taking made him “erratic and dangerous,” and he was “out of his head.”
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) December 19, 2025
TMZ also reports that Nick… pic.twitter.com/xfyoosT73t
Nick Reiner was schizophrenic, and his new medication was making him “out of his head” in the weeks before he allegedly killed his dad, Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, and his mom, Michele, according to a report.
The iconic director’s troubled middle child, 32, was being treated by a psychiatrist for his condition — but in the month before the murders, his behavior became “alarming” as doctors switched his medication, sources told TMZ.
About three to four weeks before Rob Reiner and his wife were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood mansion, his prescription was altered, making him “erratic and dangerous,” the sources said.
Doctors were trying to adjust his medication to balance him out — but the adjustment reportedly was not working and, combined with his substance abuse, actually made things worse.
We’ll see how this plays out. Seldom do these defenses work.
Rob Reiner was 78. Michele was 70.
