Rob Reiner, wife killed – What police said about investigation
Filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, have died. Here’s what the LAPD said about the investigation into an “apparent homicide.”
Two days after Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home, new details are being shared on the couple’s death.
During a press conference held by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, Dec. 16, the district attorney confirmed that the weapon used in the killings was a knife and accused the couple’s son, 32-year-old screenwriter Nick Reiner, of fatally stabbing his parents.
“As to where and how the weapon was located or will be located, that will actually be evidence we’ll present in court,” Hochman said.
Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Brentwood home the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 14, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell previously said in a Monday press conference. Initially, authorities refrained from commenting on any injuries sustained by the Reiners.
Nick Reiner was taken into police custody hours after law enforcement responded to the scene and was subsequently booked on suspicion of murder. Police said he was “responsible” for Rob and Michele Reiner’s deaths in a Dec. 15 news release.
LA County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced at the press conference that Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a dangerous and deadly weapon. The charges could entail a sentence of life in prison without parole or the death penalty, though Hochman’s office has not yet made a decision “with respect to the death penalty.”
“Prosecuting cases involving family violence are some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching we face because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes,” Hochman said in a news release.
Nick Reiner was not present for the press conference. Alan Jackson, a defense attorney for Reiner, told reporters outside a Los Angeles courthouse earlier on Tuesday that the writer had not been medically cleared to appear in court.
His arraignment will be scheduled for a later date, the DA’s office said.
The Reiners’ deaths have shocked Hollywood and beyond. On Tuesday, a solitary bunch of flowers and a candle had been left at the gate near the leafy, shaded street where the couple lived in Brentwood, as a helicopter and a drone flew overhead. Many fans left flowers and other tributes at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star, including notes saying R.I.P. Meathead, for his iconic character in “All in the Family.”
Nearby, workers at a neighboring property looked with curiosity at the growing crowd of reporters, waiting for fresh news on what happened to the beloved A-list couple.
This story was updated to add new information.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff