The official paperwork documenting the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner has laid bare the speed and violence of the attack that ended their lives, offering grim clarity to a case that has stunned Hollywood and Los Angeles alike.
According to Page Six, death certificates released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health show that the longtime couple died within “minutes” after suffering “multiple sharp force injuries” inflicted “with a knife, by another.”
The documents, obtained by the outlet on Tuesday, confirm that both deaths occurred on Sunday, Dec. 14.
The actor-director was 78. Michele Reiner was 70.
Following their deaths, the couple’s bodies were cremated, and their remains were returned to their 34-year-old son, Jake Reiner.
Rob and Michele were discovered later that afternoon inside their Brentwood home by their 28-year-old daughter, Romy Reiner. Law enforcement sources have said the couple had been stabbed to death, with claims that their throats were slit.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled both deaths a homicide.
Hours after the discovery, the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, was taken into custody near Exposition Park in downtown Los Angeles. Authorities say Nick, who has a reported history of schizophrenia and drug addiction, left behind bloody evidence at a hotel in Santa Monica after the killings.
Investigators believe the crime unfolded less than 24 hours after the family attended a Christmas party hosted by Conan O’Brien. Rob and Michele reportedly brought Nick with them because they were “reluctant to leave him home alone” amid what sources described as “extreme and stressful behavior” that had intensified in recent weeks.
Witnesses at the party said Nick appeared agitated and was seen arguing with his parents. During the event, Rob reportedly confided that he was “petrified” his son could one day “hurt” him.
In the weeks leading up to the murders, Nick’s doctors had reportedly changed his schizophrenia medication. The adjustment allegedly caused him to behave in ways described as “erratic and dangerous,” prompting ongoing efforts to stabilize his treatment.
Those efforts, sources say, were still underway when the fatal attack occurred.
Michele’s death certificate specifically lists “Multiple sharp force injuries” as the cause of death stemming from an incident “with knife, by another” at her residence, mirroring the findings in Rob’s case.
Rob and Michele Reiner are also survived by Tracy Reiner, 61, Rob’s adopted stepdaughter from his first marriage to Penny Marshall.
The investigation into the killings remains ongoing.
