Cinematographer Barry Markowitz is offering new details about his stay at the home of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, just weeks before the couple was killed.
In an interview with Page Six, Markowitz said the Reiners invited him to stay at their home, as they often did, during the premiere of his latest film, “The Perfect Gamble.” During that stay, Markowitz said he noticed their son, Nick Reiner, who had long suffered from mental health issues and drug addiction, seemed to be “on the upswing.”
“He looked great. He was sitting and talking with the family,” Markowitz shared. “They eat dinner together, old school, and a lot of love, always a lot of love.”
Nick Reiner, 32, has since been charged with murdering his parents.
Markowitz told the outlet that during his visit, he didn’t notice “anything strange” with Nick. He said Nick was present around the house, playing basketball and tennis, and joining them for dinner.
Speaking on the Reiners, he said, “They were busy working and doing stuff. The help was there, the secretaries were there, in and out of the house… business as usual.”
Markowitz described his five-night stay with the Reiners as being “a blast,” in juxtaposition to recent developments after the Reiners were found dead in their home Sunday.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney announced Tuesday that Nick Reiner had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with his parents’ deaths.
On Nick’s mental state, Markowitz said, “It’s just a sickness. That’s my verdict.”
“When somebody is mentally disturbed, you don’t need a reason. There’s no rhyme or reason,” he said. “Mental illness, that’s the reason.”
The day before the Reiners were found dead in their Los Angeles home, Reiner and Nick Reiner attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party. At the party, Reiner and his son got into a “very loud argument.” The Reiners reportedly brought Nick to the party to “keep an eye on him” out of caution for their son. Partygoers reported that Nick exhibited “anti-social behavior,” including staring at people.
“I think what’s puzzling the most, the 360, is that there was so much love, that it doesn’t jive,” Markowitz told Page Six.
“I’m not here to judge anyone. L. O. V. E. is the only thing I saw, and I don’t think it was fake,” he said. “They had a real bond.”
