Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner got into a “very loud argument” with their son Nick at a party Saturday night, just hours before the director and his wife were found dead, according to multiple sources.
The Reiner family attended a holiday party at the home of Conan O’Brien, where Nick reportedly “alarmed the guests with his behaviour,” according to two attendees who spoke to The New York Times.
Rob and Nick, 32, reportedly got “into a shouting match at the party in West Los Angeles,” one of the attendees said, who asked not to be named.
According to the source, Rob told Nick that his “behaviour was inappropriate.” The attendee added that people at the party “seemed to be very aware of Nick Reiner’s history with drug abuse.”
Another partygoer said that he and other people at the party “were worried” and that “several people commented to him on Nick Reiner’s behaviour, saying he looked anxious and uncomfortable in a way that deeply unsettled them.”
“Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous,” another source told People.
Another person said Nick’s parents were “upset and embarrassed about their son’s behaviour at the party and expressed worries about his health,” NBC News reported.
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Nick is alleged to have interrupted a conversation involving comedian Bill Hader. When Hader told him the conversation was “private,” Nick “appeared to stand still and stare before storming off,” one person told NBC News.
TMZ was the first to report on Monday that Reiner and his son got into a “very loud argument” at O’Brien’s holiday gathering.
Nick was arrested late Sunday evening and booked into jail in Los Angeles County on Monday after his parents were found dead at their home in Los Angeles, according to online jail records.
The Los Angeles Police Department has formally announced Nick’s arrest. Online jail records indicate he is being held at Parker Center Jail in downtown Los Angeles with no bail. His next court date is Dec. 16.
Los Angeles police said that Nick is “responsible” for the deaths of his parents in a statement released on Monday. (He has not yet faced a trial and nothing has been proven in a court of law.)
“As a result of the initial investigation, it was determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide. The investigation further revealed that Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Robert and Michele Reiner, was responsible for their deaths,” police said.
The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration on Tuesday, police added.
Law enforcement sources told the Times that there was no sign of forced entry into the Reiners’ home and that the couple had injuries consistent with being stabbed.
The source said that after the incident, one of the couple’s children found them and contacted police.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Sunday and found a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.
Reiner and Singer’s family confirmed their deaths in a statement, writing, “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 famous director and Nick had explored their difficult father-son relationship and Nick’s struggles with drugs in a semi-autobiographical 2016 film, Being Charlie. Nick has spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction. By 18, he had reportedly cycled in and out of treatment facilities with bouts of homelessness and relapses in between.
— With files from The Associated Press
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