> At a Glance
> – Rob and Michele Reiner died Dec. 14, found dead in their L.A. home
> – Their son Nick Reiner faces two first-degree murder charges
> – Their prison pen pal Nanon Williams learned the news on his state-issued tablet
> – Why it matters: A 34-year Texas inmate loses the family he never expected to find
Less than 36 hours before their deaths, the Reiners cheered a play built on Williams’ fight for freedom. Two days later, he read their obituary from inside a maximum-security cell.
An Unlikely Family
The Reiners met Nanon Williams through his poetry after watching Lyrics from Lockdown, a show built on his prison letters. Emails turned into daily notes; phone calls into birthday songs. They called him son; he called Michele Mom.
- Romy Reiner introduced him as her big brother
- Rob vowed, We’re going to make sure Nanon gets out
- Michele ended every message with Love you
The Night Everything Changed
On Dec. 12 the Reiners-plus Billy Crystal and his wife-watched actors read Williams’ words about survival. The audience included Williams’ mother, sisters and the wife he married behind bars.
Marc Howard, a Georgetown professor, recalls:
> It felt like the very next step was Nanon coming home.
A Tablet, an Alert, a Collapse
Dec. 14: Williams returned to his bunk at the W.F. Ramsey Unit, opened his tablet and saw the headline-two bodies discovered at the Reiners’ home. He typed frantically:
> Please, this can’t be true. Please tell me the news is lying.
The next emails that reached him had been written the day before the murders-Michele describing the play, the hugs, the hope. They arrived after the couple were gone.
A Conviction Under Review
Williams was 17 when a Houston shooting left one man dead. He admits firing shots but denies the fatal bullet. Key evidence has since collapsed:
| Year | Development |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Ballistics expert recants, ties bullet to co-defendant’s gun |
| 1999 | Prosecutor says co-defendant likely participated in murder |
| 2001 | State judge recommends new trial; appeal court rejects it |
| 2024 | Texas Forensic Science Commission confirms faulty testimony |
The Reiners spent the last decade pushing for a retrial. Their final letters to prosecutors called Williams the most impressive person Rob had ever met outside his own father.
The Bracelets That Won’t Come Off
Inside Ramsey Unit, inmates still wear rubber bands stamped Stand By Me, the film Williams hoped Rob would screen. They debate what it means to stand by someone when the worst happens.
Nanon Williams, knuckles scarred, arms inked with 466 execution numbers, says:
> I have a responsibility to Nick. If I ever get out, how could I not try to help him?
Key Takeaways
- Michele’s last email landed on Williams’ tablet after her death
- Nick Reiner faces possible death penalty, the same sentence once given to Williams
- A judge could rule on Williams’ appeal the same month Nick is arraigned
- Williams learned forgiveness from the couple who taught him love
A prison pen pal is left holding a love he never expected, mourning parents he never met, and planning the kindness he still hopes to show their accused son.
