Rob Reiner Reportedly Claimed He Was ‘Afraid’ of His Son Hours Before He & His Wife Were Found Dead—He Was Acting ‘Dangerously’
StyleCaster Editors
The devastating news about Rob and Michele Reiner’s deaths gets even sadder the more information comes out. The couple was reportedly killed on December 14, with the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s official report confirming they died of “multiple sharp force injuries.” Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
But there were already problems before their deaths. Rob, Michelle, and their son Nick attended Conan O’Brien’s holiday party right before the murder, and now Page Six is reporting Reiner told someone during the party that he was “afraid” of what Nick could do, according to the Daily Mail.
Related: See what we know about Rob Reiner’s autopsy
“I’m petrified of [Nick]. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m afraid of my son. I think my own son can hurt me,” one celeb recalls Rob Reiner saying, according to a source who was at the funeral service. Reportedly, many people reacted emotionally at hearing this.
RadarOnline.com also recently reported that Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was under psychiatric care, but in the last few months, his behavior was becoming “alarming,” with the medicines making him “erratic and dangerous.”
The New York Post reported that at Conan O’Brien’s party, there were issues. “They had had an argument at Conan’s holiday party, and Rob had been telling people that they’re scared for Nick and scared that his mental state was deteriorating,” a friend of the family told the outlet.
People also reported Nick Reiner was acting strangely right before the murders. “Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous.” According to Rolling Stone the Reiners asked if they could bring Nick to the party to “keep an eye on him.” Then, the two reportedly apologized to O’Brien for Nick’s behavior and left the party.
TMZ reported that Nick and his parents were in a “very loud argument” at Conan O’Brien’s house, with sources saying that “Michele had been anguishing to friends over the last few months that she and Rob were at their wits’ end over Nick’s mental illness and alleged substance abuse issues, and did not know what to do with their son Nick, saying, ‘We’ve tried everything.’”
Nick’s struggles with addiction had been public. Rob and Nick Reiner collaborated on the 2015 semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie about his struggles.
Nick’s siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner, released a statement on Wednesday, December 17, that said: “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience,” the statement read. “They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,” it went on to say. “We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
Nick is currently being held in a downtown LA jail and is reportedly facing life without he possibility of parole, with reports that prosecutors could even push for the death penalty in his case.
