Jerry O’Connell admitted to getting “emotional” as Nick Reiner faces murder charges in reference to the deaths of his parents, movie director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
O’Connell, 52, got his big break in Rob’s 1986 hit movie, Stand by Me, costarring Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and the late River Phoenix, and previously described Rob as being like a “father to me.”
On the Tuesday, February 24, episode of Fox 5’s Good Day Recent York, the actor and talk show host weighed in on the news that Nick, 32, had pleaded not guilty to 2 counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances during an arraignment the day before.
“Those that may not know, I’m an actor, and I used to be in Stand by Me. It was my first job,” O’Connell explained his connection to the story. “Rob Reiner was the director of Stand by Me. This may be very emotional for me to listen to about.”
The Sliders actor added, “It’s going to be very difficult going through this whole trial process. I’m going to be watching it closely within the hopes that it doesn’t grow to be certainly one of these circuses that sometimes happens around these murder trials.”
“It’s very emotional and chilling. It’s churning up quite a lot of emotions,” O’Connell said.
Nick, 32, pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday, February 23, and waived his right to a speedy trial in connection along with his parents’ deaths. His next court hearing might be held on April 29.
Rob, who was 78, and Michele, who was 70, were found dead inside their Brentwood, California, home on December 14, 2025. The couple, who wed in 1989, shared sons Nick and Jake, 36, and daughter Romy, 28. (Rob was also adoptive father to Tracy Reiner, 61, whom he shared with first wife Penny Marshall.)
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced formal charges against Nick on December 16. Nick was charged with two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. He also faces a special allegation that he used a knife. Nick could receive life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.
“Prosecuting cases involving family violence are a few of the most difficult and heart-wrenching we face due to the intimate and infrequently brutal nature of the crimes,” Hochman said on the time. “Rob Reiner was certainly one of the best filmmakers of his generation. His murder and his wife of greater than 35 years, Michele Singer Reiner’s murder, are shocking and tragic. We owe it to their memory to pursue justice and accountability for the lives that were taken.”
Rob and Michele’s children, Jake and Romy, broke their silence on their parents’ deaths and their brother’s arrest in a December 17 statement.
“Words cannot even begin to explain the unimaginable pain we’re experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating lack of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that nobody should ever experience,” the siblings said. “They weren’t just our parents; they were our greatest friends.”