Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of the late Hollywood director Rob Reiner, was placed under a year-long mental health conservatorship in 2020, the New York Times reported Thursday, emphasizing Nick Reiner's history of mental health challenges.

Nick Reiner was charged with the murders of both his parents last month, who were stabbed to death in their Brentwood-area residence. He also faces the allegation that he personally used a dangerous weapon to carry out the murders.

Nick Reiner has a serious mental illness and struggled with a change in his medication in the weeks before his arrest, sources told the New York Times, and the suspect was placed in a conservatorship for his mental health from 2020 to 2021. 

It was not immediately clear what mental illness Nick Reiner has, but one source said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. However, the diagnoses have not been confirmed. 

Steven Baer, a licensed fiduciary who was appointed as the conservator for the suspect, told the outlet that mental illness “is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood and this is a horrible tragedy.”

Experts expect Nick Reiner's mental health issues to play a central role in his defense, but he has not yet entered a plea. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison without parole or possibly the death penalty.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.