Jane Fonda recalls seeing Rob Reiner and his wife Michele the night before their deaths
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As shock and grief spread over the deaths of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, actress Jane Fonda shared that she had been with the couple the night before they were found murdered in their Brentwood, California, home on Sunday, December 14.
Police have since arrested the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, charging him with a felony in connection with the killings and setting bail at $4 million.
Jane Fonda recalls Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner 'looking healthy and happy'
Jane Fonda revealed she "saw" Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner the night before their deaths.
“Rob and Michele Reiner were wonderful, caring, smart, funny, generous people, always coming up with ideas for how to make the world better, kinder,” Fonda wrote on Instagram on Monday. “They had been helping me launch the Committee for the First Amendment."
She revealed, "I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy." She expressed her deep grief, writing, "I am reeling with grief. Stunned.”
Rob and Michele reportedly attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday, December 13, where the director reportedly got into a heated argument with his son, Nick, who had struggled with substance abuse since his teens.
The following day, the Los Angeles Fire Department found the couple dead in their home, reportedly suffering stab wounds.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time,” the Reiner family said in a statement on Sunday.
Nick Reiner questioned before his arrest
Jail records show that authorities took Nick into custody late Sunday evening and formally booked him early Monday morning. Officials have not yet disclosed the specific charges or the evidence underlying his arrest.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division questioned Nick before his arrest, law enforcement sources said.
The police learned of the deaths after one of the couple’s children found Rob and Michele inside their home and immediately alerted authorities. Officials later confirmed that it was the couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner, who discovered the bodies and called the police.
By Sunday evening, officers had sealed off the neighborhood with crime scene tape while conducting interviews and forensic investigations. A police helicopter hovered overhead as patrol cars blocked access to the street.
Rob Reiner worked with his son Nick on the film 'Being Charlie'
A decade before the tragedy, Rob collaborated closely with his son Nick on the semi-autobiographical film 'Being Charlie', which explored addiction, homelessness, and the strain these struggles can place on families.
The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival premiere featured the story of a famous movie star trying to reconnect with his son, who cycles through addiction and repeated rehab stays.
Rob directed the film, while Nick co-wrote the screenplay, drawing from his own experiences with substance abuse and periods of homelessness. Both father and son acknowledged that the story reflected elements of their real-life relationship during the film’s promotion.
In a 2016 ABC News interview, Nick said he initially portrayed the father character in a harsh light. “My script was harsh on the father character. I was not wanting the character to be that villainous,” he explained.
Nick noted that the depiction prompted difficult conversations during development, saying, “It was hard for him for a while to think that I thought of him that way.”
