In the quiet confines of a Texas prison, a condemned man says he unknowingly received a final message of warmth and encouragement — hours before a shocking act of violence would end the lives of two people who had become central to his hope for justice.
According to the New York Post, Nanon Williams, a death row inmate who has long maintained his innocence, told NBC News that he opened an email from Michele Reiner days after learning she and her husband, famed filmmaker Rob Reiner, had allegedly been stabbed to death by their own son.
The message, sent the night before the killings, was filled with joy and pride.
Just two days earlier, on Dec. 12, the Reiners had attended a Los Angeles performance of “Lyrics from Lockdown,” a one-man show inspired by Williams’ life, writings, and decades-long fight against what he says is a wrongful conviction.
The couple’s support for the project was deeply personal.
Williams has been incarcerated for more than 30 years and remains on death row for a murder he insists he did not commit. Over time, he and the Reiners formed what he described as an “unlikely bond,” rooted in shared concern over mass incarceration and injustice in the legal system.
“They became an integral part of my life,” Williams said.
On Dec. 14, that connection shattered. Williams said he learned through news reports that Rob and Michele Reiner had been found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home and that their son, Nick, had been charged with the killings.
In disbelief, Williams immediately wrote to Michele.
“Please, this can’t be true,” he wrote. “Please tell me the news is lying.”
Because prison emails are delayed and screened, Williams later received a message dated 8:36 p.m. on Dec. 13 — sent before the tragedy unfolded. In it, Michele praised the show and spoke fondly of Williams’ family, who had attended the performance along with close Reiner friends Billy Crystal and his wife, and the Reiners’ daughter, Romy.
“We all said that we can’t wait to watch it with you. And your whole family was there, it was great. I loved your mother. She is so beautiful and I told her that she must have done something right because you turned out so well,” Michele wrote.
She closed the email the same way she always did: “Hope you’re doing well, Love you, Michelle.”
The Reiners were found dead the following day.
Williams said the couple first saw “Lyrics from Lockdown” in 2016 and were drawn to his story and his fight for life. Convicted as a teenager in the 1990s, his case later came under scrutiny when ballistic evidence was questioned and prosecutors acknowledged concerns about key testimony.
“The more [the Reiners] learned,” Williams said, “the more pissed off Rob became, and the more loving Michele became.”
Once he received a prison-issued tablet in 2021, communication with the couple intensified. Michele wrote most often.
“Michele was my heart,” Williams said.
Romy Reiner echoed that bond in a statement.
“My parents spoke about him with such love,” she said. “He has taught me more about life and human compassion than anyone I’ve ever met.”
