CA - Murder victims Identified as Rob Reiner and wife Michele - LA Dec 14 2025

  • #1,321
  • #1,322
And I'm gathering from your previous post re the rehab stating he was off his head and the psychiatrist feeling he was out of control , that this was before the reiners decided to bring him to the party

Imo Nick should have been committed at that stage to a mental institution before it escalated into the horror we see before us

You are right we don't know all the details of the party but we do know Nicks behaviour was abnormal enough for someone to feel the cops should be called and obviously out of respect for the host and quite possibly the reiners they were not . So to suggest that his behaviour was limited to asking awkward questions or staring at people is to suggest party goers were being hyper sensitive and willing to call the cops for nothing . Which is to insinuate that Nick was being victimised for being different and not being jolly

I do feel that whatever happened at that party ,the reiners felt they had it under control . Just like when Nick smashed up the guesthouse they possibly felt removing him from the situation and giving him space was the best solution all round .

If Nick was known to be volatile, which is shown in numerous accounts ,I suspect when he was confronted however passively by others at the party he lost his temper ,possibly started to threaten others of which he has a pattern is the reason cops were going to be called . Whether that temper involved erratic behaviour like throwing/breaking things or shouting remains to be revealed but one thing is for certain Nicks whole life he has been erratic imo
Living in the Hollywood area for the past 50 years, and having lots of family working in Entertainment industry, I know a bit about those types of celebrity private parties. It is all built upon TRUST inside the venue.

Very famous celebs are ultra sensitive to the potential danger from 'looky-lou's' who are feeling more like stalkers. They have all had scary encounters with fans or stalkers, or weirdo's, that have felt dangerous.

So when they are in a safe private home with other celebs, they have their guards down. They are drinking and relaxing, feeling good. So if suddenly one of the guests starts acting really strange, asking if they are a celebrity, are they famous, etc, they are going to be on RED ALERT.

Their default position is that someone might intend to harm them because of the many incidents where big celebrities are shot or assaulted just for the fame it brings. So it does not surprise me that the guests were worried and wanted to call 911. Having someone come into their space and ask them 'are you famous?' would be a huge red flag because it signals that this person is an outsider---NOT ONE OF THE SMALL CIRCLE OF TRUSTED FRIENDS.
 
  • #1,323
I think they should be given a choice. Jailhouse scrubs or what they were wearing when they were arrested.

=)
I too think they should wear what they wore when they were arrested! When the perp sits there in a suit looking like an attorney or businessman, jurors have a hard time believing that person committed a heinous crime------
 
  • #1,324
YES

YES

I think that is true. Even my brother, who had very out of control manic delusions, had long stretches of coherent, calm behaviour.

It's kind of like being on a roller coaster.


EXACTLY. How can anyone blame the doctor's and their prescribed meds if Nick is also doing meth and smoking pot and drinking?

I hate this attorney's plan. It's not his family that Nick would go after if he is released from jail. It's his siblings that need to worry the most.
The only plan Alan Jackson has, as he stated, is to explore and investigate thoroughly the many facets of this case. Jackson has never said he will plead insanity, or any other details relative to defense strategy. He has never said he will blame the doctors, parents, change of medication, etc.
imo
 
  • #1,325
What would have been the right approach, in your opinion?
Keep a close watch on him, give him something to do (he never even went to school) to occupy himself with, try to understand where he is coming from and why (drugs, alcohol or any other form of addiction are never done just for fun, there is always a deep rooted cause for it), be there emotionally for him and try to guide him while being understanding. Again, there is no sure way that this or anything would have worked on him, but wasting his developmental years on rehab centers on the other side of the country where he has no family or any close ones is possibly the worst way to go about it. Nick himself says on the Dopey podcast (and I tend to believe him) that he only dabbled in heroin after meeting a fellow junkie in one of his rehab stints. He spent almost his entire teenage years being either homeless or in rehabs. It's no surprise that by the time he reached his early twenties he looks broken, emotionally stunted and distant with no future perspectives in life. In a sense - he never got to grow up and figure things out for himself.

Yes it is interesting to think about, why NR was sent to rehab so many times at such as young age. I wondered did he lie and manipulate his parents, as they’d been told by professionals but never believed?
I think the answer to this is pretty simple - he never wanted to get clean. In the Dopey podcast he says as much. Rehabs, therapies, are for people that WANT to be there, they are not for people that have no intention of stopping their drug use. And if a person wants to stop using drugs, he doesn't even need a rehab. His parents tried to brute force an issue that was not resolvable with brute force.

Very good ideas here, Thanks. MOO There’s some basic addiction rules that the Reiner parents didn’t follow. Going to “18” 30day rehabs is not reasonable, no successful recovery program calls for repeating 30 day programs, so many times. Patients often relapse if they leave rehab too soon, the second time, it needs to be extended, 90 days minimum. Also, dealing with the mental illness, schizophrenia, get on the right meds.
When Rob and Michelle practiced tough love: Nick stayed in recovery center until stable, went to ongoing recovery groups, psych meetings, stayed sober as a rule to live in their house.
Unfortunately, boundaries were not held, and Nick was allowed to return to house, stay in guest house many times when he was using. He was living on the streets part of this time, so parents were worried, let him come home *for his own safety*. Unfortunately that put the *parents/ family members safety in jeopardy*.

Your second paragraph, MOO, many signs of consciousness of guilt for Nick, also, that it was premeditated.
I’m wondering if he wore gloves, thick jacket for the crime. According to hotel check-in. He looked tweaked, but no cuts on hands arms. Maybe even a hat, mask and glasses to avoid spatter, or defensive nails marks.
I still think Alan Jackson was brought on to frame the crime as insanity( schizophrenia, meth rage etc), at first. This stretches the beginning out, gives Alan more time. Nick goes to a mental hospital(gets out of LA Jail), get stable, then continue with the murder case in court.
Nick wasn't sent to 30 day rehabs, he was sent for months on end in different states. Some of his rehab stints were cut short since he tended to run away and go homeless, but nevertheless he kinda seems to have spent most of his years past 15 till 20-22 in rehabs or homeless. That said I don't think the tough love was of any help. Sure, he wasn't as bad in 2022 as he became later but I would argue that's mostly because there would be difference from being a junkie for the span of 6-8 years and being one for 18 years. And i'm not really sure they didn't held the boundaries. We know very little of what happened to Nick after "Being Charlie' except something he said on Dopey that gives us indication that things didn't change - he was kicked out once again and then came back to living with his parents. Rinse and repeat. That was 2-3 years later after the interviews he and his dad gave. Nothing seems to have changed really. And in the last year of his life there are reports he was still in some form of therapy. I'm curious if they just started medicating him at this point

As far as his attire, in the footage released of TMZ of him walking past the gas station at 12:00 AM he's wearing a baseball cap, a black bag and possibly sunglasses albeit it's very hard to tell with the image quality. The question is whether this was him on his way to kill his parents or going back home after the party

Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner were visciously murdered in their home, by their son. I don’t understand blaming them for the help they provided. The sympathy for the murderer just feels wrong. They did not deserve this.
Nobody is blaming them or having sympathy for Nick. We're just trying to better understand the situation and how this came to happen in order to better understand other similar cases and how to prevent them. Everything has a cause and effect. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to murder his parents just because.
 
  • #1,326
The only plan Alan Jackson has, as he stated, is to explore and investigate thoroughly the many facets of this case. Jackson has never said he will plead insanity, or any other details relative to defense strategy. He has never said he will blame the doctors, parents, change of medication, etc.
imo
However, as soon as he came onboard, several new articles came out, saying those exact things. Sounding very much like a defense team put them out to the public, iimo.
 
  • #1,327
Well they’d really have no choice but to blame it on medication considering the illness was well known. And untreated schizophrenia can result in paranoia and delusional thinking, which can support an insanity defence.

But medications? In this case an array of medical professionals can be expected to testify medications for treatment of mental illnesses don’t cause murder. While it may not cure it, it’s supposed to reduce delusional thinking and enables the patient to live a more normal and satisfying life…..IF illegal drugs or alcohol are avoided but that mixture is where I suspect the defence will be challenged.
JMO
Yes and how do we know if he was even taking his medication? If they did some bloodwork when they took him into custody, then we could get a better picture of things. Taking anti psychotic medicine combined with drinking alcohol and smoking pot is a recipe for disaster. One article said that the Reiners took Nick to Conans party to keep an eye on him. Why would you take an addict to a party where there was alcohol and most likely drugs. I'm scratching my head on this one.
 
  • #1,328
However, as soon as he came onboard, several new articles came out, saying those exact things. Sounding very much like a defense team put them out to the public, iimo.
There are several articles, none of which quote Jackson. I doubt they have strategized much until they have more info through careful investigation. Alan Jackson has a big reputation, but he is not unethical either as a prosecutor or defense attorney, imo
 
  • #1,329
Why would you take an addict to a party where there was alcohol and most likely drugs. I'm scratching my head on this one.
Well, the most likely reason is that they wanted to keep an eye on him. He had previously destroyed the guest house druing one of his drug binges. Maybe they thought he'd do that or even harm himself? Another reason I can think of is that they wanted for him to go out and socialize, make friends, do something instead of just wallowing at home and spiralling into addiction.

What interests me is whether his behavior at the party was prompted by the medication he was taking on. He was acting very erratic and out of place and that's not normal even for a drug addict (and Hollywood has plenty of those). Either that or he was trying to embarrass his father on purpose, maybe he was mad they forced him to go out?
 
  • #1,330
I have to wonder if it was easier for the Reiner’s to say Nick had a drug problem, (in and out of rehab) then to say that their son was schizophrenic?

Jmo

So sad for all around.
I don't know but from all the various photos I've seen on the web and from watching his interview, something was abnormal about him. His eyes portrayed an evil and yet hollowness like he was living in a different realm. With his lack of emotion and even smiles I first thought he might be autistic or bipolar. So when I read he was schizophrenic, it made sense to me. I don't think the Reiners were covering his drug problem. I think the drug problem made his mental illness far worse. Imo
 
  • #1,331
Well, the most likely reason is that they wanted to keep an eye on him. He had previously destroyed the guest house druing one of his drug binges. Maybe they thought he'd do that or even harm himself? Another reason I can think of is that they wanted for him to go out and socialize, make friends, do something instead of just wallowing at home and spiralling into addiction.

What interests me is whether his behavior at the party was prompted by the medication he was taking on. He was acting very erratic and out of place and that's not normal even for a drug addict (and Hollywood has plenty of those). Either that or he was trying to embarrass his father on purpose, maybe he was mad they forced him to go out?
I'm wondering why not hire a body guard or sitter to watch over him. I guess they wanted him to feel normal. I just think taking your addict son to a party where there was temptations was a really bad call. In this case, it might have caused their own deaths. Imo
 
  • #1,332
There is actually a very famous study that is often one of the first we teach beginner psychology students (though the quality of the actual study itself... debatable): "On being sane in insane places": Rosenhan experiment - Wikipedia



In general, it's not so much if someone can fake schizophrenia but why and, I guess, how successful they are at it. Do they fake symptoms because they have an internal need for attention/validation they know they get by being "sick"? That may be linked to a kind of factitious disorder. Are they faking to avoid punishment, get a reward like drugs or money, or relief from work or duties? It can be linked to malingering. Do they truly but mistakenly believe they have schizophrenia? Could be linked to hypochondriasis or somatic symptom disorder, or functional neurological symptom disorder etc etc.

In terms of how well it can be faked, generally schizophrenia can be categorised into positive and negative symptoms (I don't mean as in good or bad, but linked to affect); some symptoms are presumably easier or harder to imitate.

View attachment 632441

We need a source links for that chart or it will have to be removed.
 
  • #1,333
Thanks for linking that article, @BUF .

Scary to think Nick could possibly be released, maybe not too far off in the future ?
I respect the siblings who have lost both parents and most likely their brother to prison or a mental hospital, but this is my .02 --Nick was not 'failed', in the sense that measures were taken to treat and help him , for years.
Not everyone can get that level of care.
But, imo-- Nick showed himself to be ungrateful.


Rob and Michele should have had at the very least twenty or more years of life left.
We need to speak out for the victims.

Opinion from the above link : The wishes of the surviving siblings may or may not be respected by a jury.

If placed into a mental health facility, I still think Nick should never have the chance to kill again, aka being released.
He could even be a danger to other patients or staff.
If someone shows you who they are, believe them.

If I didn't post this before ... Rest in eternal peace, Rob and Michele.
This is so sad and horribly unfair.
It's tragic that a jury will probably have to view photos from the crime scene, however it was likely the most difficult for the first responders, cops, and detectives who had to record and photograph it in the immediate aftermath.
May justice be swift and harsh.
Imo.
 
  • #1,334
To me, NR suffered from Dad & Mom wanting to cut him, a drug addict hostile son, off. So, at the time of stabbings and slicing Mom and Dad's throat he's insane by media, but all of his actions post killings he does not appear in any way to be insaneI don't buy this. In the video clips of NR roaming the streets post murder, he appears to be at ease and feeling free without a care in the world. Huge public fight at a celebrity party brought shame and anger to son in which he finally acted on impluse that was perhaps street drug induced or maybe not. Not insane at time of murder in my opinion
Addicts are the ultimate con artists and manipulators. They take take take and destroy all who care for them. I know, having survived, barely, one of these demons.
 
  • #1,335
Living in the Hollywood area for the past 50 years, and having lots of family working in Entertainment industry, I know a bit about those types of celebrity private parties. It is all built upon TRUST inside the venue.

Very famous celebs are ultra sensitive to the potential danger from 'looky-lou's' who are feeling more like stalkers. They have all had scary encounters with fans or stalkers, or weirdo's, that have felt dangerous.

So when they are in a safe private home with other celebs, they have their guards down. They are drinking and relaxing, feeling good. So if suddenly one of the guests starts acting really strange, asking if they are a celebrity, are they famous, etc, they are going to be on RED ALERT.

Their default position is that someone might intend to harm them because of the many incidents where big celebrities are shot or assaulted just for the fame it brings. So it does not surprise me that the guests were worried and wanted to call 911. Having someone come into their space and ask them 'are you famous?' would be a huge red flag because it signals that this person is an outsider---NOT ONE OF THE SMALL CIRCLE OF TRUSTED FRIENDS.
Would love to hear more insight from your perspective. That industry... Couldn't pay enough to be part of that scene... I almost went into that area but after a few experiences said no way lol... I have friends as well who work in it but not on the scale of the Reiner/big Hollywood crowd.

Wouldn't the 'usual crowds' know NR by now though? He did the media circuit to promote the movie with his dad, has been around the Hollywood brat pack type kids a long time and this likely wasn't his first party I'm guessing. That crowd must've know his reputation in some form.

If an intimate party and Reiners were there, most would know he's their son, no? So he wouldn't be mistaken for a rando off the street? I am curious if he said more to guests that'll come out (and maybe not!) My 2 cents only and MOO
 
  • #1,336
However, as soon as he came onboard, several new articles came out, saying those exact things. Sounding very much like a defense team put them out to the public, iimo.
100%. They are planting the seeds....
 
  • #1,337
I'm sure I watched a TV show or movie where someone referred to 30 day rehabs as 'spa like vacations' but maybe I'm imagining that(?)

So more like a vacation/relaxation getaway rather than actual being a serious rehab. Probably some show on HBO, not sure. Total speculation and bad memory on my part... I can't remember where I saw that on a fictional show/movie.

Anyone I've ever met who was serious about getting off substances did a minimum 3 month or longer 12 step type program. Everyone is different, I'm no expert. MOO
 
  • #1,338
Your second paragraph, MOO, many signs of consciousness of guilt for Nick, also, that it was premeditated.
I’m wondering if he wore gloves, thick jacket for the crime. According to hotel check-in. He looked tweaked, but no cuts on hands arms. Maybe even a hat, mask and glasses to avoid spatter, or defensive nails marks.
I still think Alan Jackson was brought on to frame the crime as insanity( schizophrenia, meth rage etc), at first. This stretches the beginning out, gives Alan more time. Nick goes to a mental hospital(gets out of LA Jail), get stable, then continue with the murder case in court.
RSBMFF
You raise good points and I’m wondering same with respect to whether NR was wearing gloves, etc. I also agree with your thoughts as to reason why Alan Jackson was hired to defend NR.

Jumping off your post-
It’s still early on and we don’t know everything LE/P have amassed r/t evidence. I’m torn on whether a plea deal will be offered by P or negotiated at D’s request. Hard to gauge at this early stage. My guess is there will be no plea deal offered or agreed to if LE/P has already got or after review and analyzing of all the forensics/digital forensics are completed, uncovers evidence of premeditation leading up to the horror. Having said that, I’m quite sure the P are working hard behind the scenes putting together/preparing case for a potential trial. I’m sure AJ is also working hard and will do his best to ensure his clients rights are protected. As is known, LE/P investigations are ongoing as cases progress, right up until trial in some cases.

On another note, I’ve learned that CA has “Lying in wait” law and *IF* LE/P has or does uncover evidence that NR was LIW to murder his parents in addition to any other evidence of premeditation they may have, imo nullifies NGRI. Lying in Wait is very serious convincing evidence towards premeditation as shows malice aforethought & intent and is considered aggravating circumstances. If P does have those kind of “goods”, will work in their favor if the case does go to trial and imo blows a NGRI defense out of the water, so to speak.

As most of us know and imo worth repeating, Insanity is an extremely high legal bar to clear/meet with burden on the defendant/D to prove that at the time of the crime, they didn’t know right from wrong or understand the harm their actions would cause/caused.

While clearly something is wrong in the brain/wiring so to speak of someone that commits cold blooded murder, I’m not convinced NR has schizophrenia and even if he does, it doesn’t automatically mean he was insane at the time of murdering his parents i.e., had a psychotic break with reality, delusional, and/or hearing voices with command hallucinations aka voices in his head telling or ordering him to kill his parents. Those kind of things/Insanity needs to be proven in a court of law by the D.

LE/P hasn’t said or released too much info publicly and good on them for protecting the integrity of their investigation. The public doesn’t have the right to know everything LE/P has amassed against a defendant prior to plea deal or trial. Having said that, *IF* early reporting r/t NR ambushed his parents in their sleep and fled the scene to a hotel is true, appears to me NR knew and understood what he was doing. And again, LE also may have uncovered concrete evidence of premeditation to further show NR planned and knew what he was doing. We just don’t know what all evidence LE/P has. All we can do is speculate.

Lastly, imo *IF* a plea deal isn’t reached between the two parties and case goes to trial, considering AJ is an experienced, intelligent, competent, highly skilled defense attorney who was once a Prosecutor (a benefit imo), LE/P needs to dot all their i’s and cross all their t’s before going toe-to-toe with AJ in trial court. If they made
or make any mistakes in their investigative process such as with the gathering and handling of evidence etc, AJ can and most definitely will expose it at trial.
Put it this way, LE/P had better be sure to have dotted and crossed everything, are organized, methodical and ready to bring their “A” game to go up against “A” Defense Attorney AJ.
IMO if convicted at a future trial,
NR will be sentenced to prison for LWOP and receive MH treatment while incarcerated.

For those interested, providing link to CA’s Lying in Wait explanation and elements P has to meet and prove to be able to be successful adding as aggravating circumstances.


IMHOO
 
Last edited:
  • #1,339
Unlikely to be able to do it involuntarily even if they wanted to prior to this. Not just in CA. Laws make it very difficult and in addition, there are few treatment slots available. If a hold is ordered it tends to be fairly short. And having him become homeless again would continue to pose a threat to public. Sidewalks and prisons function as mental institutions nowadays.
Yeah, I'm beyond glad we've moved on from the days of lobotomies and forced electroshock therapy, but sometimes I wonder if the modern alternatives to the institutional model are really as much better as we've convinced ourselves they are
 
  • #1,340
Yeah, I'm beyond glad we've moved on from the days of lobotomies and forced electroshock therapy, but sometimes I wonder if the modern alternatives to the institutional model are really as much better as we've convinced ourselves they are
It’s a complicated disorder, but there are apparently promising studies involving stem cell, but they haven’t come soon enough to help the Reiner’s.

Amateur opinion and speculation only
 

Guardians Monthly Goal

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
74
Guests online
2,030
Total visitors
2,104

Forum statistics

Threads
637,038
Messages
18,708,407
Members
244,028
Latest member
malindayjose
Back
Top