Nick Reiner’s weight gain and change in medication to treat schizophrenia were reportedly the catalysts behind the brutal murders of his parents Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner.
In TMZ’s new documentary, “The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened,” which aired on Friday, insiders made revelations about Nick’s 2020 diagnosis and subsequent struggle with medication.
The newspaper reported in December that Nick, 32, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Medications he was taking in the weeks leading up to his parents’ deaths were said to have left him in an “unstable and dangerous state”.
Sources told the outlet that Nick was being treated by a psychiatrist for mental illness and that his behavior had become “alarming” in the month before the murder.
Nick was reportedly receiving care at a Los Angeles rehabilitation facility in the weeks before his parents were murdered.
However, sources behind the documentary told the outlet that Nick complained to his doctor about weight gain, a common side effect of the drug.
As a result of his complaints, doctors changed his medication, which resulted in him becoming “more unstable.”
Sources added that Rob and Michele Reiner were aware of the troubling situation regarding their son, but weren’t sure what to do.
Doctors also decided to temporarily stabilize Nick to stabilize him during this period, the source continued.
Nick’s attorney, public defender Kimberly Greene, did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Rob and Michelle were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on December 14, 2025, after a heated argument with Nick the night before. Rob was 78 years old and Michelle was 70 years old.
The young filmmaker, who had a notoriously troubled relationship with his parents and had publicly battled drug addiction for years, was arrested hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered. He currently faces two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his parents.
After switching agents from renowned lawyer Alan Jackson to Green, it was reported that Nick did not understand why he was in prison.
Sources say Nick believes the people who put him in prison were involved in a “conspiracy” against him. He is aware of the criminal charges but is experiencing a disconnection from reality, the officials added.
In view of the renewal of his representation, his arraignment date was again postponed pending a January 7 court appearance.
