Jake Reiner is speaking publicly about the devastating loss of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, eight months after they were killed.
‘It feels like eight years at the same time, and it also feels like eight minutes,’ Jake, 34, told ABC7 in his first television interview since their deaths. ‘Because every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality, and you’re living through that every single day.’
Jake recalled being in downtown Los Angeles on December 14 when his younger sister, Romy, 28, urgently called him twice within moments.
‘Romy told me our dad was dead, and then she said, “I can’t find mom,”‘ Jake said during the sit-down interview, describing the moment he learned something was terribly wrong.
When asked about his brother Nick, 32, who has been accused of fatally stabbing Rob and Michele at their Brentwood home, Jake fell silent for roughly seven seconds as he appeared to search for words.
‘I mean, he’s in jail,’ Jake said. ‘So… You know, it’s… It’s like, I physically lost my parents, and then Nick was arrested, and it’s like, now it’s just me and Romy.’
Jake said his parents had ‘never stopped helping’ Nick, while acknowledging that he may ‘never understand’ the horrific circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Nick had previously spoken publicly about his struggles with drug addiction and mental health. More than a decade ago, he co-wrote the 2015 film Being Charlie with his father Rob, drawing loosely from his own life experiences.
Jake Reiner discussed his feelings about his parents’ brutal death and his younger brother
Rob and Michele Reiner were allegedly murdered by their son Nick last December 14 at their mansion in Brentwood
An unsealed indictment claimed that Nick, 32, was allegedly lying in wait before fatally stabbing parents Rob and Michele
Jake said he believed the project ‘was a way for my dad to try and connect with him.’
In the interview, Jake acknowledged that he sometimes feels ‘rage’ about ‘how unfair this was’ and how he ‘didn’t get a say in what happened.’
‘I had no choice in the matter,’ he said. ‘I just have to accept the reality of it. And to me, that is just one of the most infuriating parts of all of this.’
Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their $13.5 million mansion in the 200 block of South Chadbourne Avenue on December 14.
Rob was a prolific Hollywood director whose work included This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me or A Few Good Men.
He met Michele Singer, a photographer whom he later married, during the production of When Harry Met Sally.
Nick was arrested near the University of Southern California’s campus within hours of his parents’ deaths and charged with two counts of first–degree murder.
If convicted, Nick could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors have not said whether they will seek capital punishment.
Rob said he was still honoring his parents’ legacy by working with the Children’s Institute foundation, which is led by his aunt, Martine Singer, and was strongly supported by Rob and Michele. He will attend the foundation’s gala in his parents’ place on November 8.
‘It’s going to be hard,’ Rob told the outlet. ‘I think everything that we’ve done so far without them has been hard and weird.’
Jake is seen with his brother Nick to the right side of this September 2024 photo alongside their parents and sister Romy
Rob and Michele Reiner, pictured with Jake (center), Romy and Nick (right), were stabbed to death at their Brentwood home
Jake said he thought the 2015 film Being Charlie was a way for his dad Rob (left) to ‘try and connect’ with Nick (right)
Nick was allegedly lying in wait before fatally attacking his parents at their Brentwood home, according to an indictment unsealed August 12.
The indictment, which was returned on July 20 but only unsealed after Nick pleaded not guilty, did not elaborate on what exactly he was doing before the alleged murders.
It claimed that he used a knife to stab his parents to death, but no further details were provided about that either.
Nick has recently sought to use unpaid money from a 1993 trust established for him by his parents, arguing that he needs to it to help fund his defense.
He claimed that the trustees who oversee the funds, in total more than $1.6 million, had denied the money to him without legal justification.
‘Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths,’ a petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court read. ‘But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation.’
Half of the trust was due to Nick on his 30th birthday in September 2023 but that was never paid out, according to the petition.
The indictment alleged that Nick had used a knife to kill his parents at their home before fleeing and being arrested
In a hearing at Los Angeles County Superior Court last Monday, one of Nick’s attorneys, Anita Wu, revealed that $200,000 of the trust had been spent, according to NBC News.
Nick is hoping to rehire high–profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who initially represented him before before ‘circumstances beyond [his] control’ effectively forced a public defender to take over.
Jackson, who was in court with Wu, maintained Nick’s innocence even while stepping away from the case.
Judge Ruben Garcia did not make a decision about the trust money and set a next hearing in relation to that for October 23.
Nick, who was not at the hearing, is due back in court on September 15 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center for a pretrial hearing in relation to his murder charges.
He has been held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in LA since being arrested.
