Nick Reiner’s case was already one of Hollywood’s most wrenching tragedies, with the 32-year-old accused of fatally stabbing his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and activist Michele Singer Reiner, at the family’s home. Now, sources say relatives have taken the painful step of cutting off financial support after what they describe as increasingly erratic and threatening conduct in jail. The move underscores a family trying to grieve, navigate a high-profile murder prosecution and manage a son’s serious mental health history, all at once.
Relatives, according to those close to them, believe they can no longer “fund chaos” around a defendant they still see as deeply ill but also potentially dangerous. Their decision is unfolding as the criminal case slows, defense lawyers reshuffle and new details emerge about Nick Reiner’s psychiatric struggles and life inside a solitary cell.
The murder charges, mental health history and a stalled defense
Authorities in LOS ANGELES have charged Nick Reiner with two counts of first degree murder with special circumstances in the fatal stabbings of his parents, Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, at the family’s Brentwood home, a case that could carry a life sentence if he is convicted. In court filings, prosecutors describe the 32-year-old as the alleged killer of Rob and Michele Singer Reiner’s son, 32, a detail that has placed extraordinary scrutiny on every development in the proceedings and on the question of his mental state at the time of the killings, which took place in Dec according to early reports from Reiner killings.
Before the deaths, Nick Reiner had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, with relatives and prior caregivers reportedly alarmed by shifts in his behavior and treatment. One account describes a “complete break from reality” linked to a change in his medication regimen, with those around him saying he had previously been treated for what they believed were only major depressive bouts, a picture that grew more complicated as his symptoms escalated and as his sister Romy, 28, later found the When Harry Met Sally director, 78, and their mother at the Brentwood property, details that have been recounted in reports on his mental health and in a separate account of Romy’s discovery.
Inside the courtroom, the case has already hit turbulence. Nick Reiner’s original high profile defense attorney moved to withdraw, a step that coincided with questions over how his legal bills would be paid and whether any family controlled assets might be frozen under California’s so called “slayer statute,” which can prevent someone who “feloniously and intentionally kills” another person from inheriting from the victim or using estate funds to pay for their own defense, a restriction that has been outlined in California law analysis. With that lawyer’s exit, the court has now appointed new counsel as Reiner faces two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Hollywood filmmaker Rob Rei and his wife, a procedural reset described in coverage of how Reiner is charged.
The legal delays have been visible in court. At a recent hearing, Nick Reiner’s arraignment was postponed again after his attorney’s withdrawal, with the judge acknowledging his right to a speedy arraignment while also granting time for new counsel to get up to speed, a sequence that left the defendant speaking only briefly as the case was continued, according to an account that noted the session was Updated on: January 7, 2026 / 8:32 PM EST and that was carried by CBS News. Another report on the same hearing emphasized that Rob Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, stood in the dock as the judge weighed his right to a speedy arraignment against the need for continuity of counsel, a tension captured in a separate summary of how Rob Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner is expected to enter a plea.
Life inside Twin Towers and a family’s decision to “stop funding destruction”
As the legal process grinds forward, Nick Reiner’s world has shrunk to a by-10-foot cell at Twin Towers Correctional Faci, where he has been held in solitary confinement and subjected to weekly medical evaluations while classified as a high risk inmate. Early in his detention, he was placed on suicide watch, a precaution that has since been lifted, with one account noting that Rob Reiner’s son Nick is off suicide watch but remains in confinement at the downtown Los Angeles complex, according to a sheriff source who described ongoing concerns about a “mental disability,” details that surfaced in a report on how NEED KNOW Nick Reiner is. Another account of his confinement describes Rob and Michele Singer Reiner’s son, 32, as largely isolated, with limited contact beyond guards and clinicians as he awaits trial, a portrait of jail life detailed in a piece on Rob and Michele Singer Reiner.
It is inside that environment, sources say, that his behavior has grown more volatile. Relatives who initially tried to cover legal fees and other costs have reportedly watched his conduct deteriorate into what they describe as Erratic and Threatening Behavior Behind Bars, including communications that left them feeling unsafe and unable to maintain contact. One account quotes a source close to the family saying “They can’t keep funding his destruction” and that they “can’t bankroll chaos,” explaining that Nick Reiner’s relatives have now cut off financial support after concluding that his actions in custody made it impossible to continue, a decision described in detail in a report that Nick Reiner’s Family Reportedly Cut Him Off Due to Erratic and Threatening Behavior Behind Bars and that is summarized in coverage of how Nick Reiner’s Family Reportedly Cut Him Off Due. A separate account echoes that framing, citing a source who said “They can’t keep funding his destruction” as the family grapples with the deaths of parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, and the prospect of a long criminal trial, a sentiment captured in a piece noting that They can’t keep funding his behavior.
The financial break comes on top of other shifts in his support system. One report notes that Nick Reiner, the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, has been formally charged with two counts of murder in their deaths even as his attorney resigned while still insisting his client is not guilty, a juxtaposition that underscores how his legal team and family backing have both been in flux, as described in a social media post summarizing how Nick Reiner, the son of Rob and Michele Reiner lost his lawyer. Another account, by Kayla Aldecoa, notes that relatives had initially been involved in arranging representation and other support before deciding to step back, a shift detailed in a piece on how Kayla Aldecoa reported he was cut off financially.
For now, the case remains in a holding pattern. Nick Reiner is accused of killing Rob and Michele Reiner at their LA home and is expected to enter a plea once his new attorney is fully in place, a step that will mark the next major milestone in a prosecution that has already forced one of Hollywood’s most prominent families to confront the intersection of mental illness, alleged violence and public grief, as outlined in a summary that notes how Nick Reiner is accused of killing his parents. In the meantime, other coverage has tracked smaller but telling developments, such as a report by Riley Cardoza that Rob Reiner’s son Nick is no longer on suicide watch after his parents’ murders, a detail that underscores how his status inside the jail continues to evolve even as the broader narrative remains frozen between accusation and trial, a moment captured in the piece by Rob Reiner’s son Nick.
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