Los Angeles police have charged the son of acclaimed Hollywood director Rob Reiner with murder following the brutal killing of his parents, a crime that has sent shockwaves through the global film community.
Gatekeepers News reports that authorities said Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested on Monday, hours after the bodies of the 78-year-old actor-director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were discovered at their home in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Sunday. Multiple media reports said the couple had been stabbed to death, with some indicating their throats were slit.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell confirmed the arrest, saying the suspect was taken into custody shortly after police were alerted.
“He was subsequently booked for murder and is being held,” McDonnell told reporters.
Media reports said Nick Reiner, who has a history of substance abuse dating back to his teenage years, had argued with his parents at a high-profile Hollywood party on Saturday night.
Entertainment outlet TMZ reported that the bodies were discovered on Sunday afternoon by the couple’s daughter, who allegedly told police that another family member was responsible for the killings.
As tributes poured in from across the entertainment and political worlds, former US president Donald Trump sparked controversy with comments suggesting Reiner’s outspoken criticism of him contributed to the tragedy.
Trump claimed the Reiners died “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.”
“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession,” Trump wrote.
He later doubled down on the remarks, telling reporters that Reiner was “very bad for our country.”
The comments were condemned by prominent Republicans, including Representative Thomas Massie, who described them as “inappropriate and disrespectful.”
In an unusual twist, Michele Reiner was the photographer behind the portrait used on Trump’s ghostwritten memoir, The Art of the Deal, which helped shape his public image as a successful businessman.
A Beloved Director
Reiner was widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers and was known for his strong political activism and support for progressive causes. He had repeatedly warned that Trump posed an authoritarian threat to democracy and backed initiatives such as marriage equality and California’s First 5 programme, which funds early childhood development through tobacco taxes.
The son of legendary comedian Carl Reiner, a multiple Emmy Award winner who collaborated with icons such as Mel Brooks and Neil Simon, Rob Reiner began his career as an actor.
He rose to fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom All in the Family before transitioning into directing, often appearing in cameo roles in his own films.
Reiner achieved major success behind the camera with a string of classics, including This Is Spinal Tap (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Stand By Me (1986), and the courtroom drama A Few Good Men (1992), which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
He also directed When Harry Met Sally, featuring the iconic restaurant scene in which Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm opposite Billy Crystal, capped by a famous line delivered by Reiner’s mother: “I’ll have what she’s having.”
Tributes poured in following news of the killings.
Actor John Cusack said he was “at a loss for any words that make sense.”
Author Stephen King, whose novella The Body inspired Stand By Me, described Reiner as a “wonderful friend.”
Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates, who starred in Reiner’s Misery, called him “brilliant and kind.”
Actor-director Ben Stiller praised Reiner as “a kind, caring person who was really, really funny,” adding that he made “some of the most formative movies for my generation.”
Political figures also expressed shock. Former president Barack Obama said he and his wife Michelle were “heartbroken.”
“Beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people,” Obama wrote.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Reiner had “made California a better place.”
