Rob Reiner’s son Nick had been placed in a mental health conservatorship five years before allegedly murdering his parents after changing his schizophrenia medication, it is claimed.
Family sources told The New York Times that Nick was taken back out of the conservatorship – which severely restricts the affected person’s freedom and independence – in 2021.
He was then placed on schizophrenia medication, which had been effective, but also caused debilitating side effects, the Times reported.
Reiner, 32, switched to a different medication about a month before his movie director father and mother Michelle were stabbed to death at their Los Angeles home.
He was put under a Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (L.P.S.) conservatorship, a process brought forward by a 1967 law that establishes involuntary psychiatric treatment in California.
It is different from a general probate conservatorship, which Britney Spears was under. That court order arrangement takes over a person’s medical and financial decisions.
Meanwhile, L.P.S. conservatorships are initiated by a doctor and typically originates from an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization. Steven Baer, a licensed fiduciary, was appointed as his conservator.
Baer told the Times mental health ‘is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood and this is a horrible tragedy.’
Nick Reiner had been placed in a mental health conservatorship five years before allegedly murdering his parents, it has been claimed
Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14. They are seen with Nick in 2014
Once approved by officials from the Office of Public Guardian, a professional conservator, typically a family member, makes decisions about the person’s medical treatment and medication usage.
That specific conservatorship lasts one year. Afterward, the conservator can renew it if they wish to do so. It is unclear why Reiner’s did not last more than a year.
Schizophrenia medication, also known as antipsychotic medication, helps reduce symptoms like paranoia, hallucinations, mania and depression, but they also come with serious side effects, including weight gain.
Reiner was first diagnosed with schizophrenia disorder around 2020, TMZ reported.
According to the insider, Reiner raised concerns with his doctors about his weight gain. Photos over the years showed his weight increased as he got older.
However, doctors allegedly accommodated Nick’s request and changed the drugs that had been stabilizing him.
Steven Baer, a licensed fiduciary, was appointed as Reiner’s conservator. That specific conservatorship lasts one year. It is unclear why his did not go beyond a year
The new medication triggered increasingly alarming, unsafe dangerous behavior that only worsened over time and culminated in the alleged murders, per the outlet.
Rob and Michele noticed the changes in their son’s behavior but were unsure of what to do.
Doctors also did not intervene by placing Nick on a temporary psychiatric hold, which could have lasted up to 14 days.
The night before the killings, Reiner attended a star-studded holiday party hosted by Conan O’Brien. His parents brought him along because they were concerned and wanted to ‘keep an eye on him.’
Guests at the party said Reiner displayed antisocial and erratic behavior, including staring at attendees and asking them odd questions. He and his father were also involve in a loud argument at the event.
Reiner was living with his parents at the time, staying in the guesthouse of their Brentwood mansion after years of substance abuse issues, at least 18 stints in rehab and bouts of homelessness.
Rob was a prolific director whose work included This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me and A Few Good Men.
He met Michele Singer, a photographer whom he later married, during the production of When Harry Met Sally.
More than a decade ago, Nick publicly discussed his struggles with addiction and mental health after writing the film Being Charlie with his father, which was loosely based on their lives.
The night before the killings, his parents brought him along to a star-studded party because they were concerned and wanted to ‘keep an eye on him’
Reiner was expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity before his defense attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from the high-profile case.
Nick was arrested within hours near the University of Southern California campus and later charged with the murders of his famous parents.
He was set to be arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder Wednesday at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.
Nick was expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity before his defense attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from the high-profile case.
At a press conference, Jackson explained that ‘circumstances beyond our control … and beyond Nick’s control’ had made it ‘impossible’ for his representation to continue.
He insisted that his former client was innocent.
‘I’ll be very clear about this, my team and I remain deeply committed to Nick Reiner and to his best interests,’ Jackson said.
Breaking news… updates to follow
