Nick Reiner could face the death penalty if he’s found guilty of murdering his parents, famed director Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner.
Newly released surveillance video shows his final moments of freedom just before police arrested him.
Dead for several hours
Nick Reiner, son of Hollywood actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the shocking deaths that occurred on Sunday, December 14.
The 32-year-old is alleged to have been seen in a heated argument with his father at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday, December 13.
“Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous,” one source shared with TMZ.
What happened after that is not known with certainty. What is known, however, is that Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner were found on Sunday, December 14, inside their home in Brentwood, California. According to The Mirror, authorities described the scene as a “horror double murder.”
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the couple had been dead for several hours by the time they were discovered by their daughter Romy Reiner Sunday afternoon, with rigor mortis already setting in.
Nick was arrested that same day and booked into jail on suspicion of murder.
He was due to make his first court appearance on December 16, but his attorney said he was not taken to the courthouse from the jail for medical reasons.
Calmly purchased a drink
At the same time, a new surveillance video has surfaced in the media, showing Nick Reiner calmly purchasing a drink at a gas station just moments before his arrest in connection with the alleged murders of his parents.
Nick appeared unnervingly composed as he waited to purchase a canned beverage inside the convenience store late Sunday night. Footage obtained by ABC7 shows him dressed in jeans, a striped jacket, a baseball cap, and a red backpack as he reached into his pockets, pulled out his wallet, and paid the clerk without hesitation.
The video was recorded shortly before Reiner surrendered to police on a Los Angeles street roughly 15 miles from the Brentwood home where authorities say Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead.
Additional footage obtained by The New York Post captured the moment Reiner raised his hands in surrender as two patrol cars pulled up around 9:15 p.m. Seconds later, more police units flooded the scene, with officers exiting their vehicles and holding Reiner at gunpoint.
Forced to the ground
He was forced to the ground and handcuffed on the pavement, according to separate photos — since deleted — previously shared by the LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Unit. Reiner appeared to be wearing the same clothing seen in the gas station footage.
Another clip also showed Reiner walking calmly past a gas station just before midnight Saturday, hours before Rob and Michele Reiner were killed early Sunday morning.
District attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement: “Rob Reiner was a brilliant actor and director, an iconic force in our entertainment industry for decades. His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, was an equally iconic photographer and producer.
“Their loss is beyond tragic. We will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice.”
Hochman said the charges brought against Nick carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, or even the death penalty.
He added that ‘no decision’ has been made over the death penalty yet.