Nick Reiner diagnosed with schizophrenia before parents’ killings: reports

LOS ANGELES - Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia before the killings of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, and a change in his medication altered his behavior, according to reports.

Diagnosis and medication switch

Dig deeper:

TMZ reported that Reiner had been under the care of a psychiatrist for schizophrenia and that his behavior became increasingly concerning in the weeks leading up to the killings.

The outlet said doctors switched his medication in the past month to try to stabilize him, but he became more "erratic and dangerous," compounded by his substance abuse.

After the medication switch, "Nick was out of his head," sources told TMZ.

Nick Reiner appears in court

What we know:

Reiner made his first court appearance Wednesday in Los Angeles on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, actor-director Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70.

He did not enter a plea, and his arraignment was postponed until Jan. 7.

The charges include special circumstances of multiple murders and an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife.

Rob and Michele Reiner were also parents to Jake Reiner and Romy Reiner. Rob Reiner is also the father of Tracy Reiner from his first marriage to Penny Marshall.

'They were our best friends'

What they're saying:

Jake and Romy Reiner released a statement through a family spokesperson.

"Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day," they said. "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."

Death investigation

The backstory:

The couple was found dead Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the primary cause of death as "multiple sharp force injuries" in its initial findings.

The cause of death was consistent with police descriptions of stab wounds.

They were killed sometime in the early morning hours Sunday and were found dead later that afternoon, the district attorney’s office said.

Nick Reiner did not resist when he was arrested several hours later in the Exposition Park area near the University of Southern California, about 14 miles from the crime scene, police said.