Another commonality the Oscar winner noted was that he and Rob both had legendary parents who helped to pave the way for them in show business. (Rob’s parents were comedian Carl Reiner and Estelle Reiner, while Michael’s parents were actor Kirk Douglas and Diana Douglas.)
"Well, my experience watching him was that I could never be the man that my father was," Michael admitted of Kirk. "He can do everything. I mean, he was Spartacus. Once you go into the same business, it stares you in the face."
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images, Jesse Grant/Getty Images for TCM
The two first-degree murder charges he's facing will hold a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Nick will next appear in court on Jan. 7, 2026.
Keep reading for more on the investigation timeline into Rob and Michele's deaths...
Years before Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s tragic deaths, their son Nick Reiner shared that he struggled with addiction, even collaborating with his father on the 2015 film Being Charlie about substance abuse.
Nick explained that he had been to rehab 17 times before turning 30.
“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he told People in 2016. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”
Two years later, Nick recalled an instance when he “wrecked” his home while high on drugs.
“I went 10 rounds in my guest house,” he shared on the Dopey podcast in 2018. “I got totally spun out on uppers—I think it was coke and something else—and I was up for days on end. I started punching out some things in my guest house.”
The When Harry Met Sally director and his 32-year-old son got into a heated argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Dec. 13, multiple sources at the event told People. Family friends also confirmed to the L.A. Times that Rob and Nick fought at the holiday celebration, saying that guests noticed Nick acting strangely.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation told NBC News that Nick was being disruptive at the party and interrupting conversations.
"I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy," the actress wrote on Instagram Dec. 15. "I am reeling with grief. Stunned."
The day after the Christmas party, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of a death investigation at a home in Brentwood, Calif., at about 3:40 p.m. on Dec. 14.
“Once inside the residence, officers discovered two victims,” the LAPD said in a press release, “who were subsequently identified as Robert and Michele Reiner.”
The Robbery Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section (RHD/HSS) started an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.
Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that many family members would be interviewed, per NBC News. In addition to Nick, the couple are parents to daughter Romy Reiner and son Jake Reiner, and Rob also adopted late ex-wife Penny Marshall's daughter Tracy Reiner.
It was determined that Rob and Michele did not die of natural causes, with a source close to the Reiner family telling NBC News that the couple appeared to have died from stab wounds.
“As a result of the initial investigation,” the LAPD said in a press release, “it was determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide.”
While police investigated the case, Nick was filmed buying a Gatorade at an ARCO gas station in downtown Los Angeles near USC around 9 p.m. Dec. 14. He was wearing a green jacket, jeans and a ballcap while carrying a red backpack, as seen in footage obtained by MS NOW.
Minutes later, the screenwriter was taken into custody near USC.
The LAPD said their investigation determined that Rob and Michele's son was "responsible for their deaths.”
“Nick Reiner was located and arrested at approximately 9:15 p.m.,” police said in a press release, adding as of Dec. 15, “He was booked for murder and remains in custody with no bail.”
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Dec. 15, Michelle Obama revealed that she and husband Barack Obama were supposed to see Rob and Michele on the day they were found dead.
Two days after Nick was arrested in connection to the murder of his parents, criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson—who previously represented Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read—confirmed to E! News Dec. 16 that he had been hire as Nick's attorney in the case.
As officials gathered at a Los Angeles courthouse Dec. 16 to announce formal charges against Nick, his attorney told reporters that the screenwriter "has not been medically cleared" to appear in front of a judge.
“Every inmate has to be medically cleared before they can be transported to court," he explained to reporters, per MS NOW. “Hopefully, he’ll be cleared tomorrow and we can get him here.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Dec. 16 that his office plans to formally charge Nick with "two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders."
The D.A. also confirmed Nick will also face a "special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife" on his parents.
He added, "These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty."
Nick was formally charged Dec. 16.
Though Rob and Michele's bodies were discovered around 3 p.m. on Dec. 14, they were likely killed around 12 hours prior, according to authorities.
The district attorney said in a Dec. 16 press release that the murders took place "in approximately the early morning hours of December 14."
Nick is accused of "fatally stabbing" his parents, per the D.A. press release on Dec. 16. He allegedly "personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife" in the murders.
On Dec. 17, Nick appeared in court for the first time, arriving to the Los Angeles Supreme Court in a blue anti-suicide smock and shackles. He did not enter a plea to his charges during the appearance, instead agreeing to a date of Jan. 7 for the arraignment.
The medical examiner determined Dec. 17 Rob and Michele each died by "multiple sharp force injuries," meaning several cuts or stabs from a sharp object.