Law enforcement authorities in California have arrested the son of Hollywood film director and writer Rob Reiner, who was found dead with his wife, Michele, in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Police chief Jim McDonnell said on Monday that 32-year-old Nick Reiner was “booked for murder” and is being held on $4m bail in connection with the deaths of his parents.
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list of 1 itemend of list“They worked throughout the night on this case and were able to take into custody Nick Reiner, a suspect in this case,” McDonnell said of law enforcement efforts.
The Los Angeles Police Department had said in a statement on Sunday that it was investigating the deaths as apparent homicides, and media reports have said investigators believe the victims had been stabbed.
Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton had previously stated that authorities were seeking to interview “every family member” as part of their investigation, and McDonnell said authorities have issued a search warrant for the Reiner home.
Nick Reiner had previously spoken about his struggle with substance abuse and his difficult relationship with his father, an issue they investigated in the autobiographical 2016 film Being Charlie.
“It was very, very hard going through it the first time with these painful and difficult highs and lows,” Rob Reiner had previously said. “And then making the movie dredged it all up again.”
The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that Nick’s mother had become increasingly concerned about his mental health in recent weeks and people had noticed Nick acting strangely during a party at the home of comedian Conan O’Brien over the weekend, where family friends said he got into an argument with his father.
The Times also reported that the Reiners’ daughter found the bodies of her parents on Sunday afternoon.
Trump weighs in
In a social media post on Monday, United States President Donald Trump appeared to blame the death of Rob Reiner, a comedy giant who embraced progressive political causes, on his criticisms of Trump and his presidency.
Trump’s post on his Truth Social platform said Reiner’s death was “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME”.
The Republican president added that Reiner was “known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness”.
Those comments prompted angry condemnations and were deemed insensitive even by Trump’s standards of harsh attacks on his political rivals. California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump a “sick man”, and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie slammed what he called “inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered”.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene, another Republican lawmaker who has clashed with Trump, said the incident was a “family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies”.
Politicians, entertainers and artists paid tribute to Rob Reiner, who directed films such as When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men. They praised his creative legacy and reputation for personal warmth and kindness.
Horror author Stephen King called him a “wonderful friend”. Former President Barack Obama said the director had given the country “some of our most cherished stories on screen”.
“Rob Reiner was a true and good human being and an extraordinary director. He was vital and honest and him and Michele were cornerstones of their community and committed to their art and the good of everyone around them,” filmmaker Guillermo del Toro said. “A staggering loss.”