Rob Reiner's Son Nick Removed from Suicide Watch Before Arraignment on Charges of Murdering His Parents (Exclusive) By Danielle Bacher

Nick Reiner is no longer on suicide watch at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm, according to a Los Angeles County sheriff source.

When Nick entered the jail system on the morning of Dec. 15, he was swiftly placed under heightened supervision.

The 32-year-old is currently being held in solitary confinement, where he is required to wear a yellow jail-issued shirt and blue pants, according to the same source. The jail has since removed the suicide-prevention smock he was required to wear at all times.

The sheriff source says Nick will not be released from High Observation Housing (HOH) unless a judge or a court hearing determines otherwise and will continue to be monitored and housed alone.

A lawyer for Nick has not responded to a request for comment from PEOPLE.

Nick now faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents, director Rob Reiner, 78, and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, 70. Prosecutors have also filed a special allegation that a knife was used in the killings. The married couple was found dead inside their Brentwood, Los Angeles, home on Dec. 14.

According to The New York Times, the couple’s daughter, Romy, went to the Los Angeles home after receiving a call from a massage therapist who was unable to gain access to the property. After arriving and discovering her father’s body, Romy allegedly fled the home, the outlet reported. She was later informed by a paramedic that her mother, Michele, had also been found dead inside.

In the years leading up to their deaths, there were signs of concern at the Reiners’ home. Police previously responded to welfare-check calls at the Los Angeles residence, records obtained by PEOPLE on Jan. 2 show. In 2019, officers went to the home twice while their son Nick was living there — once for a call coded as a welfare check and once for a call classified as mental health–related.

Against that backdrop, Nick was reportedly being treated for schizophrenia before the deaths of his parents. The Los Angeles Times and KNBC both reported, citing sources, that Nick was being treated with medication for the mental illness. Schizophrenia is a widely misunderstood — but treatable — condition, characterized by symptoms of psychosis, psychiatrist Dr. Molly “Mary” Conlon told PEOPLE. Conlon oversees the inpatient program at Northwell Health’s Zucker Hillside Hospital and is not connected to Nick Reiner, his treatment or the case.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that the couple died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”

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On Dec. 19, their bodies were returned to the Reiner family after being deemed a homicide. Autopsies had also been conducted on Rob and Michele, the Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE, but a full, detailed medical report is not expected from the coroner for up to 90 days.

Another police source previously confirmed to PEOPLE that Nick is not permitted to communicate with anyone other than his legal counsel and authorized jail personnel and is only allowed to leave his cell for court appearances or medical reasons. Additionally, the police source said Nick must be escorted by a sergeant at all times and is monitored with a video camera that is attached to his escorting officer.

“This is important so that no one compromises this high-profile case, and so that no civilian or inmate can ask him questions, such as why he killed his parents,” the same police source told PEOPLE at the time.

Nick remains alone in his cell at all times and is served three meals a day in confinement, said the police source. Doctors and mental health professionals have determined that Nick has a “mental disability,” added the source.

“Nick is still housed alone and monitored every 15 minutes, and is still considered to have mental health issues,” says the sheriff source. “Reiner is currently off suicide watch, but he remains in HOH (mental health) housing. He’s in one of the two towers for mental health. When he leaves his cell, he is still escorted by a deputy and is still being recorded… From what I know, he has not had any significant problems with eating or sleeping, but he continues to eat alone in his cell.”

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On Wednesday, Dec. 17, Reiner made his first appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court. Wearing a blue anti-suicide smock and shackles, he sat behind plexiglass just to the left of Judge Theresa McGonigle, staring straight ahead as his attorney, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea on his behalf.

When the judge asked if Nick was okay waiving his right to a speedy arraignment, Nick replied, “Yes, your honor,” before being led out of the room through a side door by security officers.

After the hearing, which lasted roughly five minutes, Jackson faced a bank of television cameras outside the courthouse and explained the rescheduling, saying there were “very complex and serious issues associated with this case” that needed time to be examined. He asked the media and public not to “rush to judgment,” and then he left without taking any questions.

Nathan J. Hochman, the Los Angeles County district attorney, is also pursuing a murder conviction with “special circumstances,” a designation that could make Nick eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Long before the case against him took shape, Nick spoke publicly about a life marked by instability and drug addiction. In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Nick spoke candidly about his years-long struggle, which began in his early teens and ultimately left him living on the streets. He said he began cycling in and out of rehabilitation programs around age 15, but as his addiction intensified, he became increasingly disconnected from home, spending long periods homeless in multiple states.

Nick claimed that the turbulent years of addiction — including nights, and at times weeks, spent sleeping outdoors — later informed the semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, which he co-wrote.

“Now, I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family,” Nick told PEOPLE at the time.

His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at the Los Angeles Superior Court Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 8:30 a.m.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.