Nick Reiner pleads not guilty to murdering Rob Reiner and Michelle Reiner
Nick Reiner appeared in court with his public defender, Kimberly Greene, as he entered a not guilty plea to murder charges in the deaths of his parents.
Conan O’Brien has shared further insight into the murders of his friends Rob Reiner and Michelle Reiner, who were found dead in their home a day after attending the comedian’s holiday party in December.
O’Brien spoke about the couple’s murders in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on March 9, and was asked about the fact that his name had appeared in numerous news articles about the Reiners, who had thrown a party at their Los Angeles home hours before their deaths.
“Quite simply, we had a party with some really good friends, and the next day this horrible thing happened,” he said.
“Whatever hardship my wife and I have gone through having our names attached to us is nothing compared to the family tragedy and loss of Rob and Michelle. When you’re famous, sometimes your name gets mixed up in things, but that’s not difficult. We’re just sad that they’re gone.”
Rob and Michelle Reiner’s son Nick Reiner, who attended O’Brien’s holiday party together, was charged with the murders of his parents. He pleaded not guilty.
O’Brien also told reporters that he chose not to address the situation on his podcast because he felt it would be disrespectful. The former late-night show host spoke about the murder for the first time in February when he was asked about it in an interview on “The New Yorker Radio Hour.”
At the time, Mr O’Brien remembered the Reiners as “very nice people” and said he had become “increasingly close” to them and “used to see them often” before his death.
“I had the experience of saying goodnight to someone and finding out the next day that they were gone. … I think I was in shock for quite a while after that. I mean, there’s no other word for it,” he told The New Yorker. “It’s really, really bad. It’s really bad.”
O’Brien also lamented the loss of Reiner’s voice in the national debate. In addition to his acclaimed films, Reiner was also known as an activist.
“I think about how Rob felt about what was going on in this country, how involved he was and how much he put himself out there,” O’Brien said. “And it’s still hard for me to understand how that voice could be silenced in an instant.”
O’Brien’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter took place on Sunday, March 15, as he prepares to host the Academy Awards for the second year in a row. The academy did not say how it would honor Reiner on the telecast.
Contributor: Brian Alexander
