Rob and Michele Reiner's Son Nick Appeared 'Drained and Abnormal' Just Days Before Allegedly Slaughtering His Parents Using a Knife
Nick Reiner's eerie behavior before his parents were murder has been revealed.
Dec. 18 2025, Published 2:20 p.m. ET
Workers who had known Nick Reiner for years say he looked "drained" and "abnormal" in the weeks leading up to the alleged murder of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Nick, 32, has been charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances in the brutal stabbings of the beloved Hollywood actor-director and his wife on Sunday, December 14.
Gas Station Employees Noticed Changes in Nick Reiner's Behavior
The Brentwood Sinclair gas station that Nick Reiner frequented was recently in the news for having its iconic dinosaur mascot stolen.
Nick was a regular at the Sinclair gas station in the heart of Brentwood, California, about two miles from the Reiners' longtime home, where the troubled former screenwriter was living in his parents' guest house.
One employee told TMZ that Nick appeared "tired and was unusually standoffish" when they saw him two weeks before the killings.
The person said the nepo baby regularly popped in to buy Marlboro Lights cigarettes, and during his last stop, didn't appear to be under the influence of either booze or drugs.
Nick was a longtime self-professed drug addict who had been to rehab 18 times since the age of 15.
The outlet notes that Rob and Michele had been customers for "years" at the town's central gas station, and employees had known Nick since he was a troubled teenager.
Nick Reiner Walked Past Gas Station Shortly Before Parents Were Murdered
The worker said Nick's "standoffish" behavior was a far cry from when he popped in two months ago, greeting employees and "exchanging pleasantries" while in a "social and friendly" mood.
Hauntingly, the Reiners' middle child was seen on surveillance camera walking past the gas station on the town's main thoroughfare, San Vicente Boulevard, shortly after midnight on the day his parents' bodies were found.
The video showed Nick walking east on the sidewalk away from his parents' home, wearing a long-sleeved top and jeans, with a backpack over his left shoulder. He didn't stop at the gas station as he passed at 12:16 a.m. and continued walking.
Rob Reiner's Final Hours
Rob and Nick Reiner got into a heated argument before the former screenwriter was seen walking past the gas station, according to sources.
Hours earlier, Nick caused a scene at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party after his parents brought him along, reportedly afraid to leave him home alone.
"Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous," one insider claimed.
He went on to have an uncomfortable exchange with actor-comedian Bill Hader, in which he tried to interrupt a private conversation only to "glare at" the Barry star in a disturbing way before storming off.
Nick was pulled aside by Rob, who reportedly got into a "loud argument" with his son over his "asocial and unsettling behavior" towards O'Brien's guests, which was loud enough that "all conversations stopped" and drew the guests' attention to the exchange.
However, a family friend believed the situation was "misinterpreted" and being "overblown."
Lost Hours Between Murders and Arrest
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Nick Reiner is seen being taken into custody outside of a convenience store almost 20 miles from the double murder scene.
The hours leading up to and directly following Rob and Michele's murders are still in question.
The "mortified" couple reportedly left O'Brien's party Saturday night shortly after the heated exchange with Nick and headed home, although it remains unclear if their son went with them.
The couple was found butchered in their beds by their daughter, Romy, who entered the mansion after the Reiners failed to answer the door for a masseuse's scheduled appointment around 3:30 pm. on Sunday.
After Nick was seen walking several miles from his parents' home after midnight, he next popped up at a Santa Monica hotel, where he checked in around 4 a.m., and appeared "tweaked out" according to an eyewitness.
The Hollywood scion was finally arrested shortly after 9 p.m., nearly 20 miles away in the city's Exposition Park area. He was seen on surveillance video calmly walking to the counter at a convenience store and preparing to pay for a canned beverage when cops moved in.
