Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of renowned director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, is facing two counts of first-degree murder following their deaths. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that the charges include a special circumstance of multiple murders and a special allegation that Nick Reiner used a deadly weapon, specifically a knife, to commit the murders. These charges could potentially carry the death penalty. The official filing of charges was expected on Tuesday, with Nick Reiner to be arraigned in court once medically cleared for transfer from jail.

The case has been described as "heartbreaking and deeply personal" by Jim McDonnell, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Detectives from the LAPD's homicide division arrested Nick Reiner on Sunday night, December 15th, hours after his parents were found dead. LAPD officers had responded to a death investigation call around 3:40 PM local time on December 14th, in the 200 block of South Chadbourne Avenue, their Brentwood home. Inside the residence, officers discovered the bodies of Rob and Michele Reiner. The initial investigation determined the couple were victims of homicide, and further evidence pointed to their son, Nick, as responsible for their deaths. Police located and arrested Nick at approximately 9:15 PM local time and he was booked for murder, held without bail.

Sources close to the investigation claimed that Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 70, were found in their bed with their throats cut, suggesting they may have been asleep when they were murdered. One report indicated Michele might have still been alive when found, dying in an ambulance after telling first responders her son attacked them, though LAPD has not officially confirmed details regarding where the bodies were found. The couple's daughter, Romy, 27, who lives across the street, discovered her parents' bodies around 3:30 PM on Sunday after a masseuse found no one answering the door at 2:00 PM. She then called 911, and the LA Fire Department attempted to render aid to no avail.

The murders allegedly occurred sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. On Saturday evening, Nick was reportedly seen acting erratically and arguing loudly with his parents at a Christmas party at comedian Conan O'Brien's home. Partygoers noted Nick was "freaking everyone out" and acting "crazy." After leaving the party, Nick allegedly checked into The Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4:00 AM on Sunday, appearing "tweaked out." Hotel staff later found his shower "full of blood" with blood stains on the bed and sheets covering the windows. LAPD homicide detectives investigated the hotel. Nick Reiner was arrested about 15 miles from the Brentwood home, near a Metro station and the University of Southern California campus.

Nick Reiner has a documented history of struggling with addiction and mental health issues. He had been living in the Reiners' guesthouse for the past five years, a place he admitted to having previously "wrecked" in a drug-fueled rage, particularly when "spun out on uppers" like cocaine. A family friend revealed that Michele Reiner was recently worried about his mental health. His parents reportedly wanted him out due to his escalating drug use and destructive outbursts. Nick's defense attorney, Alan Jackson, stated his client had not received medical clearance to appear in court as of Tuesday. Nick is currently held in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown LA.