Rob Reiner’s son in custody in connection with his parents’ killings

The son of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner was arrested charged with the murder of his parents after they were found dead in their home over the weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Monday.

Nick Reiner, 32, who had struggled with substance abuse, was arrested on Sunday night and is being held in jail with no bail, the police department said in a press release. Jail documents earlier showed bail had been set at $4 million US.

Police found Rob Reiner, 78, the director of beloved movies like When Harry Met Sally… and his wife, Michele, 70, dead at their home in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.

The LAPD said their investigation “determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide” and that their son “was responsible for their deaths.” Nick Reiner was arrested later Sunday night.

The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner had been married to Michele, a photographer, since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally… and have three children together.

Among Michele Reiner’s work as a photographer included capturing the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book Trump: The Art of the Deal.

“Michele was an enormously talented photographer whose eye applied not only to what she captured on film but also to her own personal esthetic,” actor, singer and producer Rita Wilson wrote in a social media tribute. “Her work as a producer focused on social justice and creating awareness of our world. She was wry, funny, opinionated but also reasonable and self reflective.”

WATCH | Nick Reiner booked for murder, police chief says:

L.A. police chief says Nick Reiner is in custody, ‘booked for murder’

Jim McDonnell, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, confirmed Monday that Nick Reiner is in custody and was ‘booked for murder and is being held on $4 million bail’ in connection with the killings of celebrated director Rob Reiner and his producer wife, Michele. The police chief did not mention any connection between the victims and the accused, but media reports have said the suspect in custody is the Reiners’ son.

Rob Reiner’s role as Mike Stivic, nicknamed “Meathead” by Caroll O’Connor’s Archie Bunker in the classic sitcom All in the Family, catapulted Reiner to fame and earned him two Emmy Awards for best actor in a comedy series.

He then transitioned into directing feature films, with some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s to his credit, including This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Misery and A Few Good Men. 

Being Charlie collaboration

Nick Reiner co-wrote the film Being Charlie, which his father directed. The 2016 film tells the story of a rebellious, drug-addicted teen whose father is an actor-turned-politician. The film isn’t autobiographical, but was loosely based on Nick’s personal journey with addiction and homelessness since he was a teenager himself.

Nick told People, “When I was out there, I could’ve died.”

“It was the most personal thing I’ve ever been involved in,” Rob Reiner told podcaster Marc Maron in 2016.

At the time, both Rob Reiner and his son expressed to the media that filming the movie had brought them closer together.

“It forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,” Rob Reiner told The Associated Press in 2016. “I told Nick while we were making it, I said, ‘You know, it doesn’t matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already. This has already been good.’ We’ve worked through a lot of stuff.”

In a YouTube interview series at the time, Nick Reiner said of his youth with his father that “we didn’t bond a lot,” and agreed that working on the film made them “feel closer.”

The movie is Nick Reiner’s only screen credit.

Months earlier, Rob Reiner had been photographed with his wife and three children at the Sept. 9 Los Angeles premiere of Reiner’s last film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Pictures showed Nick with a shaved head and a beard.

Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who starred in the TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley, and was also a producer and director. He was an adoptive father to Marshall’s daughter and had three children with Michele.

Following news of the deaths, tributes poured in for the Hollywood legend — who was also active in politics, supporting liberal causes — from politicians like former U.S. president Barack Obama, to fellow actors such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Ron Howard.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the deaths a devastating loss for the city.

“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement.

“An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”