Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Rob and Michelle Reiner, appeared in court today wearing an anti-suicide smock, marking the first public sighting of the suspect since the bodies of his parents were found in their Brentwood estate.
While the hearing was brief, new reporting from TMZ has shed light on the erratic and gruesome sequence of events leading up to the double homicide.
According to the latest details, the tragedy began to unfold Saturday night at a high-profile party hosted by Conan O’Brien. While the event was a black-tie affair, Nick reportedly arrived in a hoodie and spent the evening acting “aloof” and “strange.”
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The night ended early for the family after witnesses saw Nick get into a “big blowout argument” with his father, prompting Rob and Michelle to leave.
Things took a dark turn in the early morning hours of Sunday. Around 4:00 a.m.—roughly 12 hours before the bodies were discovered—Nick checked into a Santa Monica hotel just a few miles from his parents’ home.
Staff described his behavior as erratic upon check-in. Investigators now believe Nick left the hotel to commit the murders at the family compound, then returned to his room to clean up. When housekeeping entered later that day, they found a scene described as a bloodbath, with blood smeared “all over the place,” including on the walls and bed.
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The bodies of Rob and Michelle Reiner were discovered around 3:35 p.m. Sunday by their daughter, who rushed to the home after being alerted by a massage therapist who couldn’t get inside.
In court, Nick waived his right to a speedy trial. He has retained high-powered defense attorney Alan Jackson, and the defense has pushed the next hearing to January 7, likely to enter a plea.
Siblings Jake and Romy broke their silence today with a devastated statement.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing,” they wrote, remembering their parents as their “best friends” and asking for privacy to grieve the “incredible lives they lived.”
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