A security hold has been placed on information in the murders of director Rob Reiner and wife Michele, the county medical examiner’s office told NBC4 Investigates.
The security hold, initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department, means no other information on records, including the medical examiner’s report, can be released or posted until further notice, the department said.
“The Department understands the public’s interest in these cases and remains committed to transparency when possible,” the medical examiner’s office said. “Information will be made available once the court order is lifted.”
The couple’s causes of death were already released by the department. The Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner classified the couple’s deaths as homicides with both dying from “multiple sharp force injuries.”
The death certificates state the Reiners were killed with a knife.
“The LAPD sought to seal the records of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s investigation into Robert and Michele Reiner’s death,” the police department said in a statement Monday exclusively to NBC4 Investigates. “The causes of death of Mr. and Mrs. Reiner have already been made public. The order was sought only to ensure detectives from Robbery-Homicide Division learned of important information surrounding their deaths before the media and the public. The order was not sought to undermine transparency.”
Fans continue to stop by at the Reiner residence in Brentwood, dropping of flowers. Keenan Willard reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found dead Dec. 14 in their Brentwood home. Nick Reiner, the couple’s 32-year-old son, has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder, including the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. He also faces a sentence enhancement for personal use of a deadly weapon, a knife.
Special circumstances elevate a murder charge to a more severe level. The charges carry the potential for a possible death sentence, if prosecutors pursue capital punishment. That decision will be made later, prosecutors said.
Nick Reiner is due back in court Jan. 7 for arraignment.
The deaths of Rob Reiner, a celebrated director whose long list of successful films included “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” and Michele Reiner, a talented photographer and producer, stunned the Hollywood community and led to an outpouring of tributes from entertainment industry colleagues, political figures and more.
As 2025 winds to a close, Access Hollywood is looking back at some of the most famous names who passed away in the last year.
Nick Reiner was the second of the couple’s three children.
The family’s challenges with Nick were well-documented, including battles with drug addiction.
In 2015, Rob and Nick Reiner worked on a coming-of-age film together called “Being Charlie.” Directed by Rob Reiner and co-written by Nick Reiner, the film explored the relationship between a son and father. In a 2016 interview with the Associated Press, they talked about the film.
In September, the family appeared together at the Los Angeles premiere of “Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.’
Earlier this month, a sealed and confidential medical order was signed by the judge overseeing the initial stages of Nick Reiner’s murder prosecution that may have to do with the 32-year-old’s mental health condition and treatment, and could add more delays to the legal proceedings. Three sources with direct knowledge of the case declined to discuss the order’s contents, but confirmed to NBC4 Investigates that Nick Reiner was being treated for schizophrenia at the time of his parents’ murders. The sources said Reiner was diagnosed years ago with schizophrenia and was being treated with medication.
They said Nick Reiner’s medication was changed or adjusted before the killings, but did not provide a more specific time frame.
