Rob Reiner’s son Jake says his parents had “unconditional love” for his brother Nick, who is accused of their murders.
Rob, the beloved director behind classic films including The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally and This Is Spinal Tap, was found murdered along with his wife Michele Singer Reiner at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles last December.
In his first sit-down interview since his parent’s deaths, Jake Reiner told ABC News that the last eight months have been a “living nightmare.”
Jake, who works as a local news reporter, went on to recall the day of the murder and said his sister “Romy told me our dad was dead, and then she said, ‘I can't find mom.’ I immediately went into shock.”
He added: “As a reporter, I did it for 10 years, I came up on crime scenes all the time, but when it’s your crime scene, a crime scene at your childhood home, it’s like the most surreal thing I've ever seen.”
Nick’s struggles with addiction and mental health issues had been well documented, and were the basis of a 2015 movie, Being Charlie, that he wrote and his father directed.
Reflecting on the film and their parents’ attitude to their children, Jake said: “My parents had unconditional love for all three of us. I can tell you they never stopped wanting to help him. They never stopped helping him. And I think that that project was a way for my dad to try and connect with him.”
Earlier this month, Nick entered a not guilty plea in Los Angeles Superior Court after a grand jury indictment was unsealed against the actor.
The argument hinges on California's “slayer statute,” which dictates that a person cannot receive an inheritance from the death of someone they intentionally killed.
Jake declined to comment on his brother’s attempts to access the money.
Nick was arrested by Los Angeles police less than six hours after his parents' bodies were discovered. He remains behind bars without bail.
In a previous statement released the day of their brother’s initial court appearance, Jake and his younger sister Romy said: “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends.”
Read MoreChris Hansen buys ads to run before Primetime and calls A24 ‘sneaky and disingenuous’
Julia Roberts said she’d never forget Dolly Parton’s response to her complaining
Stockard Channing attends first red carpet in years after admitting she’s a ‘recluse’
Trump’s Education Department deletes post comparing administration to Nazi Germany
The name’s Barton… Jack Barton: 12 actually realistic James Bond contenders
Susan Sarandon remembers Rocky Horror co-star Tim Curry as ‘sexy original’ in tribute
