Posted on 12/31/2025 8:23:57 AM PST by Red Badger
Already known details of how Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were killed have now been shuttered by the LA County Medical Examiner under a court order sought by the LAPD. The department wants to keep its findings sealed and away from the prying eyes of the “media and the public” as they try to make substantial progress before a potentially decisive court hearing next week.
Halting “the public release of any investigative information, notes, reports, or photos” of the Reiners’ death, the judge approved order went into effect on December 29. The order specifically says the Medical Examiner can only provide findings to the “assigned investigators.”
The Reiners’ youngest son Nick was arrested on December 14 just hours after their daughter Romy discovered the couple’s maimed bodies.
Under suicide watch behind bars in downtown LA, the 32-year-old could facing the death penalty after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder with “special circumstances” on December 16 by the LA County District Attorney.
Noting “the causes of death of Mr and Mrs Reiner have already been made public,” the LAPD said today “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.” Aware of the optics in this extremely high-profile matter than has shaken and saddened the Hollywood community this holiday season, the cops added: “the order was not sought to undermine transparency.”
While not unprecedented, sealing such records like the Reiners after they have been out there already for a couple of weeks is a rare development. Still, even in a creative community, cop shop and DA’s office used to spotlight crimes and cases, the tragedy of the Reiners’ deaths has hit intensely, garnering global attention and an almost universal outpouring of sorrow.
The Reiners’ official cause of death was revealed on December 17 to be from “multiple sharp force injuries” three days before. Five days after the long married couple’s remains were cremated, the Medical Examiner put out death certificates on both the elder Reiners, listing their demise as a “homicide” from “knife, by another.”
That’s all scrubbed from the Medical Examiner’s online portal and elsewhere now.
“On December 24 at 10:30 a.m., the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (Department) received a court order, initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), to place a security hold on Medical Examiner case numbers 2025-19480 and 2025-19481, Robert and Michele Reiner,” the Medical Examiner’s office said late Monday. “While the cause and manner of death were previously released on these cases, due to the court order, the information is no longer available. No other case information or records, including the Medical Examiner report, can be released or posted on the website until further notice.
“The Department understands the public’s interest in these cases and remains committed to transparency when possible. Information will be made available once the court order is lifted.”
The successful Christmas Eve sealing ask from the police comes as the investigation into the death of the 78-year-old A Few Good Men director and 68-year-old the photographer deepens with more details emerging of what actually occurred in the couple’s Brentwood home on the first night of Hanukkah. In part, law enforcement sources say, the sealing was sought to allow police an uninterrupted examination of the facts and timelines before a scheduled January 7 hearing for Nick Reiner.
To that, police are still trying to determine the sequence of events that led to what they believe were attacks by Nick Reiner on his parents in their home’s master bedroom earlier in the day of December 14, sources tell me.
Very publicly having struggled with addiction and the consequences of the disease for years, Nick Reiner had been living in the guesthouse on his parents’ property for several weeks before their death. The context of how the apparently quick stabbings occurred could proved essential to both the Alan Jackson-led defense and the prosecution – especially in terms of if the younger Reiner was aware or not what he was doing, as alleged.
Simultaneously and with great sensitivity, DA Nathan Hochman‘s office is trying to set a face-to-face meeting with the grieving Reiner family, I’m told. As the DA said in the week before Christmas, he and his team want to sit down with the family, especially siblings Romy, her brother Jake and the adopted Tracy, to hear their perspective on if prosecutors should seek life in prison without parole for Nick Reiner or the death penalty.
The death penalty is rare in California but still permitted in such “special circumstances” as what the younger Reiner has been charged with.
Neither the LA DA’s office nor defense attorney Jackson responded Tuesday to Deadline’s requests for comments on the sealing of the Reiners’ death records.
He needs to be alive and free to roam among liberals—and he shouldn't be burdened with any weapons restrictions, as those are also an unfair punishment and an abridgment of rights.
Your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek, right?
...and people wonder why we don’t trust people in gov’t or the police.
I want those who believe and vote for crazy to be impacted by those decisions, to the greatest extent possible.
Only then will they learn.
He should only be allowed to roam free in wealthy leftist LA suburbs.
Lol.
White Hat FF.
‘nuff said
Cremate the bodies, hide the autopsy reports...
I assume the courtroom will be banned to outsiders too - assuming there is a trial.
What was on the bodies that they didn't want anyone to see?
“Under suicide watch behind bars in downtown LA, the 32-year-old could facing the death penalty”
Does anyone else see the irony there?
Probably too gruesome to be publicly available..........
Not to be too macabre but I did read that they had their eyes gouged out.
Wonder who will be the number 1 sought after guest for the most fashionable 2026 Hollywood Winter Solstice parties. Hint : It won’t be Santa Claus or St. Nicholas.
After all, he just lost his parents.
I was watching an episode of 1823 that had a blurb about Cole Brings Plenty at the beginning of the episode.
So I went to look it up to see what happened to him because he is young.
Records Sealed.
Domestic Violence.
Reading between the lines he killed himself.
But I laughed at the idea his records were sealed because he was a public figure. Minor character on a TV show.
I can understand why they sealed Rob’s info for now.
Ouch.
Good question.
Rumor has it that the bodies were at least partially mutilated, so that may be part of the story.............
Or does it make Nick appear to be TOO crazy, or not crazy enough?
There is a rather large estate to be settled. Nick's defense team would like to get paid, and his mental state could be important in that regard.
Hate to be all cynical and make this about money, but...
These meetings should be very interesting. Will the kids stay committed to Rob Reiner's permissive, forgiving philosophy toward his son and view him as a sick, troubled individual who is not really at fault? Or are they sick of Nick's crap to the point of no longer wanting to try to understand him and finally want to make him face the consequences of his actions?
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