Cinematographer Barry Markowitz, one of the close friends of the late director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, shared everything he knew about the couple and what happened inside their home before their son, Nick, violently stabbed them to death.
In an interview with Page Six, Markowitz revealed that he had stayed at Reiner’s home a few weeks before the horrendous murder.
The cinematographer shared that Reiner invited him to stay at their Brentwood, Los Angeles home while he was in town to attend the 14 November premiere of his film The Perfect Gamble, since he would be flying from his home in Tel-Aviv.
Reiner Volunteered to Provide Accommodation to a Friend
According to Markowitz, the director did not want him to stay in a hotel where he had no family to be with, so he could be more comfortable.
He agreed and joined the late couple and their kids, Nick, 32 and Romy, 28. The couple’s older son Jake, 34, was allegedly busy working in a different place.
The cinematographer observed that everything was normal in the Reiners’ home, where everyone was busy doing their own business. He said that Romy was in and out of the house most of the time, but she spent dinners with the family every night.
‘[We would] scream at the TV, we watched a movie and a basketball game. Played with the dogs. Family time. One big love fest,’ Markowitz said.
‘Always a Lot of Love’
The cinematographer also mentioned that Nick, whose struggle with drug addiction since he was 15-years-old became public knowledge in 2016, seemed to be in a good place.
‘He looked great. He was sitting and talking with the family,’ Markowitz recalled. ‘They eat dinner together, old school, and a lot of love, always a lot of love.’
He also said that Nick would often leave the house and play tennis or ‘shoot hoops’ when he was staying at the Reiners as a house guest.
He also said that the youngest son of the renowned director always helped out inside the house, taking out the garbage and washing dishes. The young Reiner also often gives him something to drink.
The house guest also mentioned that everything was normal inside the household while he was there.
‘They were busy working and doing stuff,’ he described the Reiners. ‘The help was there, the secretaries were there, in and out of the house … business as usual.’
According to the cinematographer, his stay with the family was ‘a blast.’
When the Horror Unfolded
Markowitz was surprised when the news of the couple’s murder came out.
He said that he was surprised by the events that transpired, especially when Nick was arrested for murdering his parents. He said that there was so much love within the family, the incident ‘doesn’t jive.’
Markowitz also mentioned that Rob and Michele never gave up on their son during his battle with drug abuse over the years. ‘They gave him everything, they tried a million things with him … Not giving him money but sending him to top of the line places,’ he said.
He also described Michele as a highly skilled homemaker.
No Father-Son Tension
The long-time family friend also denied any father-son tension, especially on the set of their 2015 film Being Charlie, which Rob directed and Nick wrote.
‘I slept in the same house as Nick. There was never a thought, I believe, in Rob’s head [that Nick was a danger.] If he would have thought his life was in peril at any point, he would have handled the situation,’ he said.
Markowitz blamed mental illness for pushing Nick to kill his parents.
On his friends’ deaths, the cinematographer admitted that he was totally devastated when he learned that he lost them.
He added that they were like his family, and the deaths were definitely a nightmare.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
