Rob Reiner Death

Nick Reiner was placed into a mental health conservatorship for one year, which may have resulted from an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization ... according to The New York Times.

NYC's newspaper of record published its findings Thursday ... citing Steven Baer, a licensed fiduciary who was Nick's appointed conservator, and a clerk for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. However, they did not provide any details beyond confirming Nick was in the conservatorship in 2020.

Reiner was placed in an LPS conservatorship -- a type of conservatorship initiated by a doctor which usually follows an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization -- sometime in 2020. This is a different kind of conservatorship than the ones celebs like Britney Spears underwent.

Nick Reiner's weight gain set him on a murderous path, but it didn't have to be that way ... just ask Dr. Drew. The good doctor points out a change in his medication could have sent him spiraling ... but Dr. Drew also asserts harder drugs may have spurred a homicidal mind state.

Dr. Drew joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday and discussed what he thinks actually sent Nick all the way over the edge ... "The kind of violence that was on display here to me still reads methamphetamine … I keep saying that over and over again."

Drew continued ... "When he was picked up, it's worth trying to understand: What part of town was he in? What was he doing there?"

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Phaedra Parks -- who is also a lawyer -- put her legal analyst hat on for us ... weighing in on just what is going on in Nick Reiner's murder trial in Los Angeles.

Remember ... Nick's high-powered attorney, Alan Jackson, dropped out and is being replaced by public defender Kimberly Greene.

So far, Jackson's withdrawal hasn't been fully explained, but Phaedra offered a plausible explanation when we caught her at LAX Friday.

Nick Reiner's unravelling that resulted in the murders of his parents, Rob and Michelle Reiner, is directly connected to his weight gain ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our latest TMZ documentary, "The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened," follows Nick's dark history of drug abuse and mental illness. Our sources say around 2020, Nick was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a mental illness with symptoms that include delusions, hallucinations, mania, and severe depression.

Nick was placed on meds that stabilized his condition, until a month before the murders. We're told he had complained to his doctors about his weight gain -- a common side effect from the meds -- and doctors accommodated him by changing the meds that had been keeping him stable.

We're told the new meds sent Nick into an erratic, dangerous state ... that escalated as the days went on. We're told Rob and Michele were well aware of the alarming changes in their son, but didn't know what to do. We're also told doctors did not attempt to place Nick on a temporary psych hold -- one that could have lasted 14 days -- to stabilize him.

Our sources say at the time of the murders, Nick had a complete break from reality. As we reported, the plan was to plead him not guilty by reason of insanity, which his now former lawyer, Alan Jackson, as much as said after Wednesday's hearing.

The reality is ... multiple sources tell TMZ Nick is not competent to stand trial. He's still reeling behind bars, well-aware he killed his parents but believing he is in jail because of a conspiracy against him.

Nick Reiner knows he killed his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, but he doesn't understand why he's in jail ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

TMZ has a documentary -- "TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened" -- airing tonight on FOX and dropping Saturday on Hulu. Our sources say Nick is delusional and believes the people who put him behind bars are engaged in a "conspiracy" against him.

Our sources say Nick's fatal mental spiral occurred about a month before the murders, when doctors changed the meds he was taking for schizoaffective disorder -- a severe mental illness that causes delusions, hallucinations, and mania. The meds made him increasingly dangerous and erratic. We're told the meds are still not working properly.

Nick Reiner's mental breakdown in the weeks leading up to the murders of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is directly tied to a head-scratching decision by doctors to change the meds he was taking for his mental illness ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

TMZ has a new documentary -- "TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened" -- airing Friday at 8 PM ET on FOX and dropping on HULU Saturday. We explain in the doc, Nick was diagnosed around 2020 with schizoaffective disorder ... a condition that manifests itself with schizophrenia symptoms -- including delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking -- and mood disorder symptoms, including mania and severe depression.

Our sources say a month before the murders, Nick was stable on his meds for schizoaffective disorder ... we're told the meds were working just fine. For some reason, his doctors decided to change the meds. Our sources would not say why doctors made that decision ... only that we would be shocked to learn the reason, which we're told makes no sense.

Dr. Drew says doctors prescribing medication to Nick Reiner for his mental illness royally screwed up by changing his meds in the weeks leading up to his parents' murders ... but hindsight is 20/20, and there are all sorts of reasons why the meds get changed.

The good doc joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... and we asked him about something we uncovered in our new documentary, "TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened" ... Nick was stable on his meds for schizoaffective disorder a month before the killings, but then doctors decided to change things up.

Dr. Drew says meds get changed all the time when patients stress about how they're feeling or how their side effects are affecting them ... but that doesn't always make it the right move.

The murders of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner rocked Hollywood ... and, while it seems clear their son Nick killed them, we've learned his conviction is anything but assured.

Our new documentary on the Reiner murders dives into the tragic killings ... including new information tying the murders to Nick's medication.

10:43 AM PT -- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman says prosecutors are confident a jury will find Nick Reiner guilty of murdering his parents, no matter who he has as a defense lawyer.

10:32 AM PT -- Alan Jackson just held a brief news conference where he said there's one thing everyone can take to the bank -- "Nick Reiner is NOT guilty of murder."

Jackson said the circumstances under which he had to withdraw from the case were beyond Nick's control. TMZ broke the story ... Nick was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder and there are issues regarding his meds that could lead to a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

10:06 AM PT -- A spokesperson for the Reiner family released a statement on Nick's change of legal representation saying ... "They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."

A source told The New York Times the change had nothing to do with Alan's "performance" and that he had been a pro.

9:52 AM PT -- Nick Reiner's new attorney is public defender Kimberly Greene, who has 19 years' experience.

The judge signed off on Nick's change of legal representation and set a new arraignment date for Feb. 23. Nick spoke up in court, saying, "Uh, yeah I agree with that."

Nick's leaving the courtroom and going back to jail -- he still has no bail -- and Alan is about to address the media ... tune into the live stream above.

Nick Reiner's lawyer is off the case, TMZ has learned, and Nick will -- at least for the time being -- be represented by a public defender.

Sources connected to the Reiner family, with direct knowledge, tell TMZ ... when attorney Alan Jackson appears in court Wednesday morning for Nick's arraignment, he will inform the judge he is no longer representing Nick.

Our sources say a public defender will step in for now, and the case will be continued. Nick will not enter a plea.

As for why Jackson is off the case, we're told the family will be releasing a statement as soon as the proceedings are over, and TMZ will post it.

Nick Reiner had an eventful day in court ... he's now being repped by a public defender and his outgoing defense attorney made it clear he thinks Nick is NOT guilty of murdering his parents ... but the way Alan Jackson made his statement has our antennas up.

We got into every angle of Nick's appearance in a Downtown Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... the change of lawyer, an interesting statement from the D.A., a possible defense strategy, and we even had a reporter inside the courthouse who told us how Nick was acting.

The big thing here is Jackson is out, and a public defender is in ... but Jackson left some breadcrumbs that seem to indicate Nick's got a strategy ready and a new defense team may be coming in to take over.

Nanon Williams -- a death row inmate who was befriended by Rob and Michele Reiner -- received an uplifting email from Michele hours before she was killed ... only he didn't get it until days after her death, according to a new report.

Williams told NBC News he learned about the Reiners' murders while skimming news stories on his state-issued tablet at the W.F. Ramsey Unit -- a maximum-security prison about 40 miles south of Houston, Texas -- and immediately messaged Michele, "Please tell me the news is lying."

Locked up since he was 17, Williams has spent his adult life behind bars after being charged with a murder he says he didn't commit. He reportedly became like family to the Reiners over the last decade after they saw a live performance of "Lyrics From Lockdown" -- a spoken-word multimedia performance based partially on Williams' writings.

Romy and Jake Reiner are keeping their parents' tradition of doing good deeds ... by cleaning up the beach on New Year's Day with their friends.

The two siblings took to the shore in Malibu Thursday to get the New Year off to a positive start ... with Romy walking alongside Alex Siliberg, who had a trash bag at the ready to pick up any litter on the way.

The duo kept their eyes to the mud ... searching for any bits of scrap they could add to their quickly growing collection of garbage.

Romy Reiner's had a traumatic couple weeks ... and she's looking to the ocean to help her heal.

Rob and Michele Reiner's daughter was spotted Tuesday on a somber stroll along the coast in Malibu ... walking silently with her dog and her boyfriend, Alex Siliberg.

Romy and her brother, Jake Reiner, have reportedly been staying in Malibu since their famous parents were found murdered in their Brentwood home earlier this month ... and Jake hung back at the beach house while Romy hit the sand.

As you know ... Romy is the one who found her parents' dead bodies in rigor mortis after being killed by "multiple sharp force injuries" ... and she told police her other brother, Nick Reiner, was "dangerous" and should be considered a suspect.

Sally Struthers was seen in public on Monday ... weeks after her "All in the Family" costar Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were brutally murdered in their Brentwood home.

Sally was snapped out and about in Los Angeles ... and her mood appeared to be glum ... understandable given the recent double killings that rocked Hollywood.

TMZ broke the news ... Rob and Michele were butchered in their home on Dec. 14 ... and their son Nick has since been arrested and charged with their murders.

Jake Reiner was spotted easing back into everyday life ... going shopping with his girlfriend just weeks after his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, were murdered by his brother.

Jake and Maria Gilfillan were photographed Saturday in Malibu, keeping things low-key as they visited several stores and stayed close while walking between shops.

The outing comes just two weeks after Rob and Michele were found dead inside their Los Angeles-area home. Their deaths were later ruled homicides with the medical examiner saying they suffered "multiple sharp force injuries," described as occurring "with knife, by another."

The couple's bodies were discovered by their daughter, Romy, who told police she believed her brother Nick Reiner was "dangerous" and should be considered a suspect.

Nick has since been charged with his parents' murders, and sources told us he will most likely enter an insanity plea.