Rob Reiner at the LBJ Presidential Library on October 22, 2016 (Jay Godwin/Flickr)
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of actor/director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner for possible homicide, and their son, Nick Reiner, is now in police custody as a suspect — although so far, he hasn't been charged with anything.
According to reporting from TMZ and the Daily Beast, a hotel room being rented by Nick Reiner was found covered in blood on the same day his parents' bodies were discovered in their Brentwood by their daughter Romy Reiner.
The Daily Beast's Harry Thompson, in an article published on December 16, reports, "The Hollywood director had been spotted arguing with Nick at Conan O’Brien's Christmas party just hours earlier on Saturday night, according to sources cited by TMZ…. Nick is reported to have checked into a Santa Monica hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning, long before the grisly discovery of his parents' bodies. TMZ cited eyewitnesses who said he appeared 'tweaked out' after checking in at The Pierside around 4 a.m., but they said there were no signs of blood or injuries on him when he arrived."
Thompson adds, "He reportedly booked the room for a single day and was later found by police in Exposition Park, 20 miles away, having never checked out."
TMZ reported that when staff in the Santa Monica hotel went to clean the room Nick Reiner rented, the shower was "full of blood."
Rob Reiner emerged as a major figure in Hollywood in the 1970s with his portrayal of Archie Bunker's son-in-law, Mike "Meathead" Stivic, on Norman Lear's sitcom, "All in the Family." In contrast to the lighthearted entertainment that U.S. sitcoms were known for during the 1960s, "All in the Family" was overtly political. And Reiner's character often had heated political debates with the right-wing Bunker, played by the late Carroll O'Connor. In real life, O'Connor — like Reiner and Lear — was a major supporter of liberal causes.
Reiner went on to become even better known for his work as a director, which ranged from the heavy metal mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" to the romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally."
Read the full Daily Beast article at this link.
