Cause of Death Released for Rob and Michele Reiner as Son Appears in Court

The official cause of death has been released for filmmaker Rob Reiner and his photographer wife Michele Singer Reiner.

Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said on its website. Their manner of death is listed as homicide.

The two were found deceased around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday inside their home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

Related: Rob Reiner’s Son Charged With Murder, Could Face Death Penalty

The couple’s youngest son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested “without incident” near USC on Sunday at 9:15 p.m., authorities said at a news conference earlier this week.

Nick made his first court appearance on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The judge did not allow cameras in the courtroom. Artist sketches showed Nick was in shackles and wore a blue suicide prevention vest.

Nick Reiner in a suicide prevention vest in court a short while ago.
Sketches: Mona Edwards pic.twitter.com/5qncBp0lRs

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) December 17, 2025

Arraignment Delayed
Nick did not enter a plea. Instead, his arraignment was postponed at his attorney’s request. The judge ordered Nick to remain jailed without bail and to return to court for arraignment on Jan. 7, 2026.

He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special enhancement in the stabbing deaths of his parents.

Outside the courthouse in downtown L.A., defense attorney Alan Jackson asked the public not to rush to judgment.

“First of all, and most importantly, this is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family,” Jackson told reporters.

The attorney said there are “very complex” issues in the case that “need to be thoroughly, but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked it and analyzed.”

“We ask that during this process you allow the system to move forward in the way that it was designed to, not with a rush to judgment, not with jumping to conclusions, but with restraint and with dignity and with the respect that this system and this process deserves and the family deserves,” Jackson added.

Family Statement
The couple’s older children, Jake and Romy Reiner, released a statement to several media outlets Wednesday and thanked the public for an outpouring of support.

“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” the statement read. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”

The two continued, “We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”