Jake Reiner on parents Rob and Michele's killings: ‘My world, as I knew it, had collapsed'

LOS ANGELES - The oldest son of Rob and Michele Reiner has published a heart-rending account of learning from his sister that their parents were dead and his troubled brother had been arrested for the slayings inside their Los Angeles home.

In a personal essay published Friday on Substack, 34-year-old Jake Reiner described the "nightmare" of unexpectedly losing his parents last December. His younger brother Nick, 32, was arrested for the double murder within 24 hours of his parents' bodies being found inside their bedroom.

"We lost more than half of our family that night in the most violent way imaginable. Sure, any loss of a parent is devastating, but nothing compares to losing both of them at the same time and, on top of that, having your brother be at the center of it," he wrote.

"It's almost too impossible to process. I understand that people have questions about what happened. Some of those answers will come in time. But some parts of this belong only to our family, and keeping them private is the only way to protect what little remains of something that was taken from us.

"What the hell do you say to someone who is living through this reality?," the essay read. "The truth is, there is nothing to say."

Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele, 70, were found by their daughter Romy when she went to their home the afternoon of Dec. 14. Police believed Nick Reiner was the killer and tracked him into Los Angeles and arrested him that afternoon near Exposition Park.

Reiner has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. The L.A. County district attorney is also pursuing a murder conviction with "special circumstances," a designation that could make him eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

In his essay, Jake Reiner recalled being at Union Station celebrating the life of one of his recently deceased best friends when he got the call from Romy. She first said their father was dead and then they revealed their mother was too.

"The 45-minute Lyft ride from downtown to the west side was unendurable. My world, as I knew it, had collapsed. I was in a trance," he wrote. "The only thing I could focus on was that I needed to get to my childhood home. I needed to get to my sister. I needed to figure out what the hell just happened."

He reflected on those who helped the siblings through the horrific events, his mother's role as the family linchpin and then what was taken from him personally.

"Anytime I was going through a tough time or had a complicated issue to hash out, I leaned on her brilliant perspective. I always felt like she was in my corner," he wrote of his mother. "I get my intolerance to bulls--t from her, and I love it. She was never afraid to tell the truth. She was also sensitive and always cared about everyone else before she thought about herself."

"My dad is my hero," he said, revealing that their strong bond began with a shared love for baseball. "I love how he would analyze my dreams or how I felt I could come talk to him about anything. No subject was ever off-limits."

He also grieved for the moments he would not be able to share with his parents in the future.

"My parents won't be at my wedding, they won't get to hold their future grandchild, and they won't get to see me have the successful career I'm still seeking," he wrote. "It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me."

"Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time," Reiner continued. "It's too devastating to comprehend. I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it's not a dream. This truly is my living nightmare."

Reiner said he's reminded of his parents' deaths every day, in meetings, in decisions that need to be made and in paperwork that needs to be filled out.

"My goal in writing this piece is to offer some insight. Not only to what I lost but also to celebrate what my parents meant to me," he wrote, then concluded, "I just ask for love and compassion - the same principles my parents lived by."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 5:49 PM.