Troubled Nick Reiner Was in a Mental Health Conservatorship Years Before Allegedly Slitting Parents Rob and Michele's Throats

Rob Reiner's deeply troubled son Nick was placed in a year-long mental health conservatorship five years before he was arrested for allegedly slaughtering his parents in their bed, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The bombshell new revelation is the latest development in the accused killer's battle with mental illness, as he reportedly was being treated for schizophrenia at the time of the gruesome double murder on December 14, 2025.

Licensed fiduciary Steven Baer was appointed as Nick's conservator in 2020, as reported by the New York Times, while a Los Angeles Superior Court clerk confirmed that the conservatorship ended in 2021.

Baer told the outlet that mental illness “is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood, and this is a horrible tragedy,” but couldn't legally elaborate on any details about the conservatorship.

Nick was placed under what is known as an L.P.S. conservatorship, which was established for individuals in California determined to be "gravely disabled" due to a serious mental illness.

The process is usually initiated after the patient has undergone an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization. They are then evaluated by officials of the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Guardian before the conservator case is presented to a judge.

Most L.P.S. conservatorships last for one year, after which the conservator may seek renewal. Confidentiality laws prevent Baer from discussing the conservatorship or the reasons for its termination.

"You have to be pretty severe to be placed on a mental health conservatorship in California," attorney Lee Blumen, an expert in Nick's type of conservatorship, told the outlet.

He stressed how difficult it is to get the type of placement Nick received, explaining, "Of all the people who come into this system, a very small group of people actually get placed on conservatorship."

The onetime screenwriter had a long history of drug abuse and mental illness dating back to his teens. Nick had been in and out of at least 18 rehab trips starting at the age of 15 and was under treatment for schizophrenia at the time of the murders.

One source familiar with Nick's health told the paper that he had been diagnosed on different occasions with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

That insider and a second source confirmed that the When Harry Met Sally director's son was having particular problems in the weeks leading up to Rob and Michele's murders, as his medication had been changed.

Nick had been taking effective medication, but the reason for the switch about a month before the killings was due to the troubled nepo baby suffering side effects, the second source spilled.

The Reiners were so concerned about Nick's well-being that they brought him along to Conan O'Brien's Christmas party on the eve of the killings, as they were scared to leave him alone at their home. Nick had been living in his parents' guest house, which in 2018 he confessed to trashing in a drug-fueled rage.

Party guests were "freaked out" by Nick's antisocial behavior at the soiree, leading Rob and his son to have a "loud argument" that was overheard by other A-listers. The All in the Family star later reportedly confided to close pals before leaving the bash, "I'm afraid of my son. I think my own son can hurt me."

The Reiners were found dead the next afternoon by their daughter, Romy, and Nick was arrested hours later. He was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances.

Superstar defense attorney Alan Jackson originally signed on to represent Nick but gave abrupt notice he was withdrawing from the case on January 7. L.A. County Public Defender Kimberly Greene is now in charge of Nick's defense.

Teasing he had possibly been seeking to go with an insanity defense, Jackson told reporters, "What we've learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state…Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder."