What we know about the Reiner killings, and what a family associate says happened next

What we know about the Reiner killings, and what a family associate says happened next

The sequence of events that led to the discovery of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s bodies began quietly on Sunday afternoon. A massage therapist arrived at the couple’s gated home in Brentwood for a scheduled appointment. When repeated attempts to get a response at the gate failed, the therapist phoned the couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner, according to a person close to the family who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity.

Romy Reiner came to the house with a roommate. She entered the property and soon encountered what the family associate described as a horrifying scene. Inside the house, she found her father’s body. Overcome, she fled the house immediately. Her roommate, who had remained outside, called 911.

The source said Romy Reiner did not see her mother’s body inside the house and only learned that Michele Singer Reiner was also dead when paramedics arrived and informed her.

Family account challenges reports of rising fear

On Tuesday, prosecutors in Los Angeles charged Nick Reiner, the couple’s younger son, with two counts of first-degree murder. He had been living in a guesthouse on the family’s property. The charges stunned many who knew the family, including the person who spoke to The Times.

The family associate said that nothing in the days or weeks before the killings suggested that Nick Reiner, 32, was capable of such violence. While acknowledging that he had struggled with substance addiction for much of his adult life, the source said the family was accustomed to dealing with those challenges together and had not been living in a state of heightened fear.

The associate disputed reports that the family had grown especially anxious about his behaviour in recent weeks, calling such accounts misleading and inconsistent with how the family understood the situation.

The night before the bodies were discovered, the family attended a Christmas party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien. According to previous reporting by The Times, Nick Reiner behaved erratically at the gathering and alarmed some guests. Two attendees said Rob Reiner had reprimanded his son for inappropriate behaviour.

The person close to the family did not deny that an exchange may have occurred but said it was being exaggerated. According to the source, there was no heated confrontation between father and son and no dramatic rupture at the party. The family did not leave early because of Nick Reiner’s conduct, the associate said, and his behaviour was not outside patterns the family had dealt with before.

The morning after the party, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, the source said, until the missed appointment later that afternoon.

When paramedics arrived at the house, Romy Reiner informed them that her brother also lived on the property, the associate said. She did not, however, suggest to authorities that he should be considered a suspect, contrary to some early reports.

Investigators did not find Nick Reiner in the guesthouse. He was arrested without incident later that evening, around 9.30 pm, by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gang and Narcotics Unit. He was located roughly 15 miles away, near Exposition Park in southwest Los Angeles. Police have not publicly explained how they found him.

At a news conference, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said cases involving violence within families are among the most painful to prosecute because of their intimacy and brutality. His office has declined to comment on specific investigative details.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the coroner had not yet determined whether the deaths occurred late Saturday night or on Sunday. Authorities have also not released information about the precise cause of death or the sequence of events inside the home.

Nick Reiner was expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday, but did not. His lawyer told the court that his client had not yet been medically cleared to be transferred from jail. An arraignment is expected once that clearance is granted.

For now, much about the case remains unresolved. Investigators continue to piece together the timeline, while prosecutors weigh how to proceed. The family, through the associate who spoke to The Times, has signalled that it is still processing the shock of what happened and is not yet ready to speak publicly in its own voice.