EXCLUSIVE: Grimmest Twist Yet Emerges in Reiner Massacre — With Pals WISHING Nick Reiner Had Got Hold of Gun to 'Spare Parents Pain' of Their Son's Alleged Double-Stabbing
Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner were found dead with their throats slit.
Dec. 31 2025, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
Rob Reiner is at the center of a devastating twist in his and his wife's deaths, with friends of the brutalized couple telling RadarOnline.com they are haunted by the idea their double-murder accused son Nick Reiner may have wanted to obtain a gun shortly before the killings.
They tell us they are tortured by the grim idea a firearm might have spared his parents the agony of being stabbed to death. Veteran director Rob, 78, and his photographer partner, Michele Reiner, 70, were found dead at their $13.5million mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on December 14.
'They May Not Have Suffered'
Nick Reiner is believed to have attempted to retrieve a gun before his parents' deaths.
Their troubled recovering junkie son Nick, 32, who lived in a guesthouse on the property, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances in connection with his parents' deaths. Sources have confirmed both victims died with their throats slit as they lay in bed and "multiple sharp force injuries."
Nick has not entered a plea, and the investigation remains ongoing. Friends of the family say the revelation Nick, suspected to have been suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the bloodbath, had spoken about wanting a gun in the weeks before the killings, which has added a disturbing layer to the Reiners' friends' grief over their horrific passings.
One insider said, "People can't stop thinking about the way Rob and Michele died. Knowing they were stabbed makes it unbearable. There's this awful feeling that if Nick had gotten hold of a gun, they might not have suffered the way they did."
Another friend echoed the sentiment, stressing it was not about excusing what happened. "Nothing makes this okay," they said. "But the idea of the violence they endured is what's tormenting everyone. People are saying they wish it had been over quickly, not with a knife."
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, had their throats slit.
Sources told showbiz columnist Rob Shuter Nick had expressed interest in owning a firearm shortly before his parents' deaths, though it is unclear whether he ever attempted to acquire one.
One insider described the period leading up to the killings as volatile.
"Everything escalated incredibly quickly. He wasn't panicked – he was focused, and that's what makes it so disturbing," the source said. Police records show officers were called to the Reiner home multiple times over the years, including for family disputes and mental health checks.
Nick has previously spoken openly about long-standing struggles with addiction, homelessness, and mental illness, and sources say he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Friends claim his behavior recently become increasingly erratic after a recent change in medication.
'Holding Hands Forever'
The director's troubled son has been charged with their murders.
Those who knew Rob and Michele say the manner of their deaths has overshadowed memories of a marriage defined by closeness and loyalty. Celebrity trainer Neda Soderqvist, who knew the Reiners for years, described Rob and Michele's close bond in a moving interview.
She said: "The one thing that is getting me through this, honestly, is I can tell you that if one of them went, the other one would have left a few weeks after from a broken heart because they are inseparable."
Soderqvist added: "One of the things that I tell God and I feel okay in my heart is that they're together… Rob and Michele are holding hands forever."
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Legal experts predict Nick Reiner will plead insanity.
She recalled collapsing in shock when she heard the news, repeating the words "No, no, no" as it sank in. Rob had spoken publicly about his children shortly before his death, saying he loved all of them, "even the bad ones."
Friends say those words now feel unbearably poignant.
"Rob and Michele never stopped trying to help Nick – and that is just one of the things that makes this so tragic."
Nick is due back in court on January 7. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty under California law. Under the state's so-called "slayer statute," he would also be barred from inheriting his parents' estimated $200million estate, unless a successful insanity defense is mounted.
