Rob Reiner, Son Fought At Christmas Party Night Before Deaths: Latest Updates On Investigation

LOS ANGELES, CA — After director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle were found stabbed to death at their home Sunday night, their son Nick Reiner was arrested hours later on suspicion of their murder.

Here are five things to know about the couple's killings and the Reiner family history.

Nick Reiner Is A Suspect

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the home on the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, where they found Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 68, dead, according to department spokesperson Margaret Stewart.

Video from the scene at the Brentwood home showed the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's van arriving at the home at about 1:20 a.m.

"We have our Robbery-Homicide Division handling the investigation, they worked throughout the night on this case and were able to take into custody Nick Reiner, a suspect in this case," Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at a Monday morning news conference.

Nick Reiner was arrested at 9:15 p.m. Sunday and was booked at 5:04 a.m. Monday on suspicion of murder, with bail set at $4 million, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Inmate Information Center.

Their Daughter Found Their Bodies, Reports Indicate

The couple were found by their daughter, 28-year-old daughter, Romy Reiner, People reported.

They were found with their "throats slit" and police said that the two suffered "lacerations consistent with a knife," TMZ reported.

Before Nick Reiner's arrest, TMZ reported that the Reiners' daughter told police that a family member had killed her parents and described the family member as "dangerous."

• Related: Trump Blames Rob Reiner's Killing On 'Mind Crippling Disease'

Nick's Struggles Served As Artistic Inspiration

As a teenager, Nick Reiner struggled with drug abuse and homelessness. He went to rehab for the first time at around age 15 and had 18 stints in rehab over the next four years, People reported.

“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he said. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”

He had gotten sober by 2015, at age 22, when he was promoting a semi-autobiographical movie he worked with his father — one about a successful actor with political ambitions and a son struggling with drug addition. Rob Reiner directed "Being Charlie" and Nick Reiner wrote it with Matt Elisofon, whom he met in rehab, the New York Times reported.

During that press blitz before the film's release, Nick Reiner's parents described the challenges of weighing the value of professional advice over what their son said he wanted.

“We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them," Michele Reiner told the Los Angeles Times.

Nick Reiner told People at the time "If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless."

Christmas Party Argument

The night before Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death, the couple and their son attended a Christmas party hosted by Conan O'Brien, TMZ reported.

At the party, Nick Reiner and his father got into a "very loud argument," according to the publication.

TMZ reported that Michele Reiner told her friends in recent months that she and her husband were at their wits' end over their son's mental illness and substance abuse issues.

Criminal Charges Not Yet Filed

Though Nick Reiner remains jailed on suspicion of his parents' murders Monday, he is not yet facing formal charges.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said Monday that it has not yet determined any criminal charges in the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, CNN reported.

“A case has not been presented to our office for filing consideration. Once a case has been presented, we will carefully review the evidence to determine what charges are appropriate,” the office said in a statement.

The office added “We owe it to their memory to pursue justice and accountability for the lives that were tragically taken.”

SEE ALSO:

Rob Reiner's Son Arrested After Parents Found Dead In LA Home: Reports

--

City News Service contributed to this report.