Nick Reiner was being held Monday in the Los Angeles County jail in the slayings of his parents, film director and major Democratic Party donor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, in their home Sunday.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell confirmed that Mr. Reiner had been arrested and “booked for murder.”
Nick Reiner, who has spoken about his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness, was arrested after police responded to the couple’s Brentwood home at 3:40 p.m. local time Sunday and found the bodies. They were stabbed to death, and, reportedly, their throats were slit.
Police said in a statement that the initial investigation determined that Nick Reiner “was responsible” for the deaths and that he was located and arrested at 9:15 p.m. Sunday.
Jail records show that Nick Reiner, 32, was being held without the opportunity for bail, a change from his initial bail of $4 million.
Rob Reiner, 78, rose to prominence as a sitcom actor in the series “All in the Family.”
SEE ALSO: Trump says Reiners’ ‘incurable’ opposition to him caused their deaths
Later, he hit it big as a director of beloved movies such as “This is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally…”
He was the son of Carl Reiner, an actor, writer and comedian who worked with the likes of Mel Brooks and Steve Martin.
Michele Singer Reiner, 70, was a well-known photographer.
Nick Reiner spoke to People magazine in 2016 about going to drug rehabilitation in his teens and being homeless in various states when he refused to go back to certain drug programs.
“When I was out there, I could’ve died. It’s all luck. You roll the dice, and you hope you make it,” he said at the time.
Nick Reiner worked on screenplays and made a movie with his father, titled “Being Charlie,” that is loosely based on his experiences.
“It did make me understand him a lot more, and I think it made me a better father — hopefully it did,” Rob Reiner said in a joint interview about the film in 2016.
Nick Reiner said he didn’t share common interests or bond with his father much earlier in his life. However, he said the movie brought them closer, particularly as he watched his father work in the filmmaking industry.
While former President Barack Obama and other Democrats praised the Reiners for their creativity and empathy, President Trump reacted to the Reiners’ deaths by focusing on the criticism that the couple lobbed at him through the years.
“A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Rob Reiner was born in New York City and lived in New Rochelle, New York, for a time before graduating from Beverly Hills High School in California.
He had minor roles in television shows and began his television writing career on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” before his breakthrough on Norman Lear’s “All in the Family.”
Mr. Reiner played Archie Bunker’s liberal son-in-law, Michael Stivic.
He pivoted to directing beloved comedies of the 1980s and working in other genres, including the coming-of-age story “Stand By Me” and the thriller “Misery,” both of which are based on works by novelist Stephen King.
He built a side career as a liberal activist, fiercely opposing California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state but was later overturned.
He donated to Democratic candidates and campaigned for presidential nominees while fiercely criticizing Mr. Trump.
The president said Mr. Reiner “was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before,” Mr. Trump wrote. “May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”
Many online commenters were aghast at the president’s post, and some Republicans who have clashed with Mr. Trump said his comments were disrespectful.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, said the deaths were “a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, called Mr. Trump’s post inappropriate and urged Republican leaders to speak up. Rep. Michael Lawler, New York Republican, said the president’s statement “is wrong.”
“Regardless of one’s political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son. It’s a horrible tragedy that should engender sympathy and compassion from everyone in our country, period,” Mr. Lawler said on X.
Mr. Trump defended the post after an event in the Oval Office.
“I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned,” said Mr. Trump, citing Mr. Reiner’s promotion of the Russia collusion hoax.
Mr. Trump’s criticism of Mr. Reiner was a jarring contrast with praise from prominent Democrats.
Former President Joseph R. Biden and former first lady Jill Biden offered condolences to “everyone whose lives were touched” by the Reiners’ “extraordinary contributions.”
“We take solace in knowing their work will live on for generations to come,” Mr. Biden wrote on social media.
Mr. Obama said Monday that he and former first lady Michelle Obama were “heartbroken” over the Reiners’ deaths.
“Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen,” Mr. Obama wrote on X. “But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people — and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.
“Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose,” Mr. Obama wrote. “They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called the news “devastating” and said Mr. Reiner was “creative, funny, and beloved.”
“Civically, he was a champion for the First Amendment and the creative rights of artists,” she wrote on X. “And professionally, he was an iconic figure in film who made us laugh, cry and think with the movies he created.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said Mr. Reiner had an empathy that “extended well beyond his films.”
“Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco, fighting for marriage equality, to serving as a powerful voice in early education. He made California a better place through his good works,” the governor said on X.
Mr. King, a novelist who has supported Democrats and liberal causes, pointed to his collaborations with Mr. Reiner.
“Wonderful friend, political ally, and brilliant filmmaker (including 2 of mine),” Mr. King wrote on social media. “Rest in peace, Rob. You always stood by me.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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