We previously reported that the former All In The Family star Rob Reiner was found dead along with his wife Michele on Sunday, December 14. They were allegedly stabbed to death by their own son Nick, who reportedly slit each of their throats. He has since been arrested and charged with their double murders.
Nick Pleads Not Guilty
On Monday, Nick pleaded not guilty to double murder charges regarding the brutal deaths of his parents.
Nick, 32, appeared in a Los Angeles court with a shaved head. He was seen wearing a brown uniform with a white shirt. Nick appeared in the courtroom before Judge Theresa McGonigle.
When asked if he understood the proceedings during his appearance, Nick faintly whispered “yes.” That was the only time that he spoke during the hearing. He is due to appear in court again on April 29.
This comes one week after TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin opened up about how Nick is doing in jail.
“He is almost childlike in jail, we’re told,” Levin told Fox & Friends. “[Nick] can’t process the consequences of what he’s done. He knows what he did.”
“He just can’t understand where he is right now, and I know that sounds crazy, but he is out of his head right now,” Levin added.
Levin went on to say that the murders of Rob and Michele were “incredibly brutal.”
“We know people in the medical examiner’s office who are traumatized just by the pictures,” he acknowledged.
Levin concluded by saying that the crime has “all the markings of a meth murder,” and that Nick had been using the hard drug at the time.
Watch Levin talk more about this in the video below.
Reiner Murders
Nick is the second of Rob and Michele’s three children. They were also parents to Jake, 34, and Romy, 28.
Rob and Michele were last seen on the night of Saturday, December 13, when they attended a Christmas party with Nick that was hosted by Conan O’Brien. There, Nick was seen acting strangely, and other guests saw him get into a heated argument with Rob.
“Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous,” a source told People Magazine.
Rob, Michele, and Nick eventually left the party together. It is believed that Nick killed them in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Later that day, a masseuse arrived at the Reiner home for a prescheduled appointment. When nobody answered the door, the masseuse called the Reiners’ daughter Romy, who lives across the street.
Romy was able to enter the home, only to find the body of her father. She immediately fled and told her roommate, who was waiting outside, to call the police. Romy was so distraught by the bloody scene that she didn’t notice the body of her mother. She had to be told by paramedics upon their arrival that her mother was dead as well.
Nick was apprehended around six hours later near the University of Southern California campus. By then, he had checked into a local hotel, with his room there being covered in blood.
Jake And Romy Speak Out
Jake and Romy issued a brief statement honoring their parents days after their murders.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” the brother and sister said at the time. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,” they continued. “We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
Rob got his start as an actor, playing Meathead on the sitcom All In The Family from 1971-1979. He later became a prolific director, making beloved movies like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, and more.
Rob and Michele had been married for 36 years at the time of their deaths. May they both rest in peace.