Nick Reiner, who is charged with the stabbing deaths of his filmmaker father Rob Reiner and mother Michele Singer Reiner, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was taking medications that made him "erratic and dangerous," it was reported Friday.
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Citing two sources with knowledge of the situation, TMZ reported that the 32-year-old Reiner had been under the care of a psychiatrist for mental illness, but his behavior had grown more alarming in recent weeks.
About a month ago, doctors adjusted his medications in an effort to stabilize his behavior, but he instead grew more erratic, TMZ reported. One source told the website that Reiner "was out of his head," with his mental health problems exacerbated by continued substance abuse.
TMZ also reported that Nick Reiner recently spent time at a high- dollar Los Angeles rehab facility known for treating children of "rich, powerful parents."
Nick Reiner has been open about his struggles with drug abuse over the years, even working with his father to produce a 2015 semi-autobiographical movie titled "Being Charlie," based on Nick's drug-addiction issues and the family's struggles to cope. In media interviews and podcast appearances, he previously described being in and out of rehab programs throughout his teen years, and spending time homeless in various states, including Texas, New Jersey and Maine. He also described an instance when he was high on cocaine for multiple days and trashed his parents' guest house.
The revelation of a schizophrenia diagnosis raises the possibility of Reiner pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder charges.
He is due back in court Jan. 7 to be arraigned on two counts of murder, which include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, opening him to a possible death sentence if prosecutors choose to pursue capital punishment. He also faces a sentence enhancement for personal use of a deadly weapon -- a knife.
Nick Reiner made his initial court appearance on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. He appeared in court wearing an anti-suicide vest, and he was ordered to remain jailed without bail.
The bodies of Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found around 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the couple's Brentwood home in the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue. The L.A. County medical examiner classified the couple's deaths as homicides, with both dying from "multiple sharp force injuries."
"First of all, and most importantly, this is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family. ... Our hearts go out to the entire Reiner family," one of Nick Reiner's attorneys, Alan Jackson, told a crowd of reporters outside the courthouse after Wednesday's brief hearing.
Jackson said there are some "very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case" -- explaining that they "need to be thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked it and analyzed."
"We ask that during this process you allow the system to move forward in the way that it was designed to, not with a rush to judgment, not with jumping to conclusions, but with restraint and with dignity and with the respect that this system and this process deserves and the family deserves," Jackson added.
Rob Reiner was best known for his iconic role as Michael Stivic on the classic sitcom "All in the Family" -- and as director of films such as "Stand By Me," "The Princess Bride," "A Few Good Men," "Misery," "This Is Spinal Tap" and "When Harry Met Sally."
Nick Reiner was arrested without incident around 9:15 p.m. Sunday in the Exposition Park area near USC and was booked into jail early Monday morning. No details have been released about a possible motive for the crime.
According to multiple reports, Rob and Michele Reiner, along with Nick, had attended talk-show host Conan O'Brien's Christmas party on Saturday night, and that Rob got into a heated argument with Nick over his odd behavior at the event.
Rob and Michele Reiner wound up leaving the event, but it was unclear when Nick Reiner left. TMZ reported that Nick Reiner checked into a Santa Monica hotel around 4 a.m. Sunday, and that blood was later found in the room.
According to TMZ, Michele Reiner had allegedly lamented to friends in recent weeks about Nick's mental health and addiction issues, saying, "We've tried everything."
A statement issued by the Reiner family was published Sunday by Variety, saying, "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time."
On Wednesday, the Reiners' oldest son and daughter, Jake and Romy Reiner, issued a joint statement expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support.
"Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day," the pair said. "The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends.
"We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave."
Rob Reiner, the son of legendary writer/producer/comedian Carl Reiner, began his career in 1968, writing for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," on a writing team that included a young Steve Martin. Reiner also had bit roles in various TV shows, including "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Batman."
His big break came with his casting as Archie Bunker's liberal son-in- law Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the groundbreaking sitcom "All in the Family" in the 1970s. The role won him two Primetime Emmy Awards.
But it was his work behind the camera that saw him achieve even more success. "A Few Good Men," the 1992 courtroom thriller starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, was nominated for an Oscar for best picture. His other credits included "This Is Spinal Tap," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "The American President" and "Misery."
Rob Reiner's final film, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" was released in theatres Sept. 12.
Rob Reiner was married for 10 years to actress/director Penny Marshall, but they divorced in 1981.
He met photographer Michele Singer while he was directing "When Harry Met Sally." Reiner often told the story about how his romance with Singer led him to change the ending to the movie -- with the characters played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan reuniting rather than going their separate ways.
Reiner and Singer married in 1989 and had three children -- sons Nick and Jake, a former Los Angeles television reporter, and daughter Romy.
Rob Reiner was a vocal Democrat Party activist, helping spearhead efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in California and to pass a 1998 initiative that created the First 5 California childhood-development services program, funded by a tobacco tax.
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