Rob Reiner’s Son, In First Interview, Speaks About Parents’ Murders, Won’t Discuss Brother Accused of Killings
In his first public interview since the brutal murders of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, in their Los Angeles home in December, their son Jake Reiner reveals details of his sister’s discovery of the murder scene and discusses the incredible loss of his parents and his younger brother, who is in jail awaiting trial for the double murder.
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Jake Reiner, 34, spoke with ABC 7 Los Angeles about his famous filmmaker father’s legacy and the experience he’s had after losing both parents so abruptly and in such a tragic manner. He also gave an update on his sister, Romy Reiner, but would not discuss anything around his brother, Nick Reiner, who has been charged with and pleaded not guilty to murdering his parents.
“Nobody really understands what it’s like to go through something like that until you’re living it,” Jake Reiner told the L.A. ABC affiliate. “It’s been 8 months. It feels like 8 years at the same time. And it also feels like 8 minutes. Because every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality.”
Romy Reiner, 28, was the one who discovered the body of her father on Dec. 14 inside the Brentwood home where her parents lived, across the street from her apartment. Her brother described the moment he heard from her after she’d called 911. “Romy told me our dad was dead, and then she said, ‘I can’t find mom,’” Jake Reiner said. “I immediately went into shock.”
Nick Reiner, who was staying in a guest house on his parents’ property, was arrested in connection with the killings and later charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders. He has since been trying to access the funds in a trust his parents set up for him, as they did for each of their children. The trust’s professional fiduciary and trustees have blocked him, citing California’s slayer statute, which prevents anyone from inheriting or financially benefiting from the estate of a person they are accused of killing.
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Jake Reiner opted not to discuss his brother’s murder case while being interviewed. He only mentioned his younger brother once during the sit-down, which aired Thursday and was his first since the killings took place. Both Jake and Romy Reiner testified before the grand jury that indicted their brother.
“[Nick]’s in jail. It’s like, I physically lost my parents, and then Nick was arrested. Now it’s just me and Romy, and we have to navigate this by ourselves essentially,” he said.
“For me, it manifests into anger,” he added. “It manifests into rage, into how unfair this was, how I didn’t get a say in what happened. I didn’t get to stop it from happening. I had no choice in the matter. I just have to accept the reality of it. And to me, that is just one of the most infuriating parts of all of this.”
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Nick Reiner’s pretrial hearing in the murder case is scheduled for Sept. 15.