Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The double killing of movie director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner in their Los Angeles home sent shockwaves through Hollywood and the political world Monday.
Rob Reiner, 78, was a beloved Hollywood mainstay for decades, having helmed films including the rock music mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap,” the much-quoted “When Harry Met Sally,” courtroom drama “A Few Good Men,” and coming-of-age classic “Stand By Me.” Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer who collaborated with her husband on his 1990 horror film “Misery.” Here’s what we know so far about their apparent murders and the circumstances surrounding them.
– Police called – Police were called to the Reiners’ luxury home in the upmarket Los Angeles enclave of Brentwood at around 3:40 pm Sunday (2340 GMT), with reports suggesting the call had come from inside the home. The bodies of Rob and Michele Reiner were found inside, with multiple media reporting they appeared to have been stabbed, and some reports suggesting their throats had been slashed. Detectives reportedly found no signs of forced entry. Entertainment outlet TMZ said the bodies had been found by the couple’s daughter, who told police another family member had killed them.
– Arrest and charge – The couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, was taken into custody on Sunday evening and quizzed overnight. Police said Nick Reiner was charged before dawn on Monday with murder. Records show that he is being held on $4 million bail in Los Angeles.
– Troubled history – Nick Reiner has a long, documented history of substance abuse. As a teenager, he was in and out of rehab and experienced bouts of homelessness. By 2015, seemingly recovering, he and his father collaborated on “Being Charlie,” a semi-autobiographical film about a successful actor and aspiring politician whose son is addicted to drugs. Rob Reiner told reporters at the time of the film’s release that parenting a child suffering from addiction had been difficult. “It was very, very hard going through it the first time, with these painful and difficult highs and lows,” he said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Making the movie dredged it all up again.” TMZ reported Rob and Michele Reiner had attended late-night TV show host and comedian Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday night with Nick, where guests said the two men had got into a “very loud argument.”
– Political reaction – As a Democratic activist and supporter, Rob Reiner had campaigned for the legalization of same-sex marriage and for issues including early years education. His sudden death was mourned by a firmament of Democratic Party names, including former president Barack Obama and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
But as tributes for Reiner poured in, President Donald Trump took to social media to launch an extraordinary attack on the director. Trump claimed the Reiners had died “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.” “He 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,” the Republican leader wrote. The outburst sparked condemnation across the political spectrum, with Republican lawmakers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie amongst those who said it was inappropriate.
© 2024 AFP
