Rob and Michele Reiner’s close friend slams trolls who say they didn’t support Nick before they were murdered
A source close to Rob and Michele Reiner’s family has slammed online trolls for suggesting the slain couple didn’t support their son Nick enough in the lead up to their murders.
The insider told the Daily Mail that those who knew the couple are devastated by accusations they did not help or love their 32-year-old son, who suffered with addiction issues and periods of homelessness before he allegedly killed his parents in their bed.
The Reiners were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday December 14. Their daughter Romy, 27, discovered their bodies at around 3.30pm that afternoon. Nick was arrested hours later and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The accused killer has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and went to rehab at least 17 times in recent years. In recent years he has lived in his parents’ guesthouse.
Friends have defended the couple after conservative influencer Megyn Kelly led controversial attacks on the iconic director, who was also known for his staunch anti-Trump beliefs.
Kelly claimed the vicious murders in the Reiners’ $13 million mansion ‘may involve parents who were focused on the wrong thing, like careers instead of their kid.’
‘Any reporting suggesting that Rob and Michele didn’t love all of their children is totally false. They were utterly devoted to all their children and did everything they could to support them,’ the source close to the family told the Daily Mail.
Rob and Michele Reiner’s close friends have slammed online trolls for suggesting the slain couple didn’t support their son Nick enough before he allegedly killed them
Nick, seen in September 2025, has long struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse and had been open about his numerous trips to rehab
The Reiner family are seen together in Vegas during happier times
It comes as sources previously told TMZ that Reiner’s schizophrenia worsened in the weeks before the alleged murders after doctors changed his psych medication.
Nick reportedly became ‘erratic and dangerous’ because of the medication tweaks, which saw his mental illness spiral out of control, insiders claimed.
According to the outlet, insiders said that Nick’s behavior had become ‘alarming’ and he had been attending a Los Angeles rehab facility that specializes in substance abuse, and charges a staggering $70,000 a month, the report said.
In the weeks before the alleged murders, doctors reportedly changed Nick’s medication which made him more erratic, with one source saying the 32-year-old was ‘out of his head’.
On Saturday night, Nick was brought along to a star-studded holiday party hosted by Conan O’Brien because his concerned parents reportedly wanted to ‘keep an eye on him’.
Guests at the A-list packed holiday party said Nick displayed ‘antisocial behavior’ including staring at attendees, and he and Reiner reportedly had a loud argument at the bash.
Insiders also told Rolling Stone that Reiner and Michele had asked if they could bring Nick to the party due to fears over his mental state. And, at one point, witnesses said Nick got into a heated moment with comedian Bill Hader.
Nick was arrested by the LAPD’s robbery homicide division with the help of US Marshals on Sunday night (pictured)
Nick was suffering with worsening schizophrenia and became ‘erratic and dangerous’ when doctors changed his psych medication, insiders say
Rob and Michele were found dead with their throats slit in their $13.5 million California mansion, and at the time of Nick’s arrest hours later, his sister Romy, 27, who discovered their parents bodies, told investigators her brother ‘should be a suspect’ because he was ‘dangerous’.
The Daily Mail exclusively revealed following the alleged murders that those around Nick saw him as a ‘ticking time bomb’.
Sources said that Nick’s drug use spiraled out of control after his parents threatened to kick him out of their home.
The troubled 32-year-old had been living in his parents’ guesthouse in Los Angeles for the past five years – where his behavior had become increasingly erratic and frightening, insiders claimed.
‘Nick had been living in their guesthouse, the same one he destroyed more than once, but it had been like a revolving door all his adult life,’ a source close to Reiner told the Daily Mail on Monday.
‘He would do meth and not sleep for days and then have outbursts, breaking things, punching walls.
‘He was a ticking time bomb. His drug use was getting worse and his parents wanted him out,’ claimed the friend.
Romy Reiner, 27, seen with her brother Nick, discovered their parents bodies, and told investigators her brother ‘should be a suspect’ because he was ‘dangerous’
According to the source, Nick, who was one of three children, frequently laughed off the destruction he caused during drug-fueled episodes.
‘He used to brag how he could get away with anything and took money from his parents for drugs and prostitutes.
‘He would talk about this stuff in meetings, but then stopped going because he said it was too cultish,’ the source claimed. ‘He laughed about destroying his parents’ guesthouse more than once. He was so nonchalant about it.’
