One month prior to the time when Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead of stab wounds in their home on December 14, their son, Nick Reiner had made a change in his medication in his treatment for schizophrenia.
Since then, Nick, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with Rob and Michele’s deaths, at a time when he struggled with the side effects of his medication.
According to the New York Times, Nick entered into a mental health conservatorship in 2020 that ended in 2021. Meanwhile, anonymous sources repeatedly told the newspaper that Nick was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder, which led to him struggling with his new medication in the weeks leading up to the death of his parents.
The Times reported that the change in medication was made due to side effects around one month prior to his arrest.
Steven Baer, the licensed fiduciary appointed as Nick’s conservator, told the Times that mental illness “is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood and this is a horrible tragedy.”
It was only in December 2025 that the news of Nick’s alleged schizophrenia diagnosis first broke. Meanwhile, around that time TMZ had reported that Nick was acting “erratic and dangerous” in the weeks leading up to his parents’ murder.
Moreover, two sources also told the Times that Nick was under the care of a psychiatrist for his mental illness, but despite this, his behavior reportedly became alarming in the weeks living up to their deaths.
The same sources also noted the statements about how doctors changed Nick’s medication around 3-4 weeks prior to Rob and Michele’s deaths in the hope of stabilizing his condition. However, at that stage they didn’t believe the change in medications caused his sudden change in behavior. However, the sources also alleged that his substance abuse had worsened his schizophrenia.
Reportedly, Nick was also receiving treatment at a $70,000/month rehab facility in Los Angeles that specializes in mental illness and substance abuse, reportedly shortly before his parents’ deaths.
Rob Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner
Most likely will not go to jail and be not guilty by insanity Sources added that even if it was discovered the murder was premeditated, the jury may arrive at the conclusion that his mental state was incomplete, hence declared not guilty.
This is… pic.twitter.com/zG44QbbF7b
— Victor Bigham 🇺🇸 (@Ravious101) January 10, 2026
For his crimes, Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner and is currently held without bail at a Los Angeles jail. If he is convicted, he is likely to face life in prison or the death penalty. His arraignment has been scheduled for February 23 and he is expected to enter a plea on that date.
Following the deaths of Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, their children, Jake, 34, and Romy, 28, released a statement on December 17, speaking of the “horrific and devastating loss of our parents,” saying:
Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day.
More recently, Nick’s attorney Alan Jackson announced at a court hearing on January 7, that he was withdrawing from the case. He said that Nick Reiner would now be represented by a public defender, Kimberly Greene. However, Jackson also told reporters at the press conference that, “Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that.”
