One of Michele Reiner’s final conversations has now come to light.
Just hours before she and her husband, filmmaker Rob Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, Michele sent an email to Nanon Williams — an inmate appealing his murder conviction with whom the couple had formed a close friendship after seeing the stage play Lyrics From Lockdown in 2016, according to E! News.
Two days before their deaths, the Reiners attended a performance of the play with friends Billy Crystal and Janice Crystal, along with members of Williams’ family, NBC News reported. Michele described the evening in that final message, which Williams later received on his state-issued tablet, per the outlet.
“I’m sure you have heard from Tera [Williams’ wife],” she wrote per NBC News, “but the show last night was amazing.”
Michele also shared her hope that Williams — who is serving a life-without-parole sentence for the 1992 murder of Adonius Collier after first being sentenced to death — would someday be able to see the production in person, telling him that she believed that day would come.
“We all said that we can’t wait to watch it with you.” Reiner ended the email with “Hope you’re doing well, Love you—Michele.”
In an interview published Jan. 5, Williams — who has always maintained his innocence — told NBC News from prison that the Reiners became “an integral part of my life” over the past decade, saying they felt like a part of him.
That bond also extended to their family. The Reiners’ daughter, Romy Reiner — who attended the Dec. 12 performance with her parents — said in a statement that Williams “became like family.” The couple were also parents to Jake Reiner, 34, and Rob shared daughter Tracy Reiner, 61, with his late ex-wife Penny Marshall.
“My parents spoke about him with such love,” Romy added, noting that Williams taught her more about life and compassion than anyone else she has known.
At the same time, Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple victims. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life without parole or the death penalty. He has not yet entered a plea and is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 7.
