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Rob Reiner Was Trapped by the Law — And His Own Son | The Impossible Choice
Published 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Description
What do you do when your adult child is severely mentally ill, addicted, and refuses help — and the law won't let you force them into treatment?
Rob and Michele Reiner faced that question every single day. Their son Nick had reportedly been through seventeen rehab programs. He admitted to gaming the system. He convinced his parents the experts were wrong. And California law gave them almost no options to intervene.
Under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, you can't force an adult into treatment unless they're an imminent danger to themselves or others. A 5150 hold gives you 72 hours — then the patient walks out if they say the right words. Nick knew how to say the right words. He said so himself.
So Rob and Michele kept Nick in the guesthouse. Under what reports called "watchful supervision." Except they weren't trained professionals. They were a 78-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman trying to manage someone with schizophrenia and active addiction.
Rob reportedly told friends the night before his death: "I'm petrified of Nick. I think my own son can hurt me."
By the next afternoon, Rob and Michele were dead. Stabbed multiple times in their bedroom.
This episode explores the legal trap that ensnares families across America. The 72-hour revolving door. The impossible conservatorship process. The false promise of CARE Court. And the reality that millions of parents are living with right now — hoping tonight isn't the night everything falls apart.
Nick made choices that led to that bedroom. But the system gave his parents no way out.
#RobReiner #NickReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurder #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #LPSAct #CARECourt #TrueCrimePodcast #Accountability
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Rob and Michele Reiner faced that question every single day. Their son Nick had reportedly been through seventeen rehab programs. He admitted to gaming the system. He convinced his parents the experts were wrong. And California law gave them almost no options to intervene.
Under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, you can't force an adult into treatment unless they're an imminent danger to themselves or others. A 5150 hold gives you 72 hours — then the patient walks out if they say the right words. Nick knew how to say the right words. He said so himself.
So Rob and Michele kept Nick in the guesthouse. Under what reports called "watchful supervision." Except they weren't trained professionals. They were a 78-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman trying to manage someone with schizophrenia and active addiction.
Rob reportedly told friends the night before his death: "I'm petrified of Nick. I think my own son can hurt me."
By the next afternoon, Rob and Michele were dead. Stabbed multiple times in their bedroom.
This episode explores the legal trap that ensnares families across America. The 72-hour revolving door. The impossible conservatorship process. The false promise of CARE Court. And the reality that millions of parents are living with right now — hoping tonight isn't the night everything falls apart.
Nick made choices that led to that bedroom. But the system gave his parents no way out.
#RobReiner #NickReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurder #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #LPSAct #CARECourt #TrueCrimePodcast #Accountability
Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872