Millions of fans were horrified by the murders of Rob and Michele Reiner last month.
But one death row inmate says learning of the Reiners’ deaths was particularly unnerving for him, as he knew them in real life and continued receiving emails from them days after they were killed.
Nanon Williams is awaiting a death sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit, and he befriended the Reiners after they saw Lyrics From Lockdown, a one-man show based partially on Williams’ writings.
Williams tells NBC News that he learned of the Reiners’ murders while scrolling on his prison-issued tablet.
“Please tell me the news is lying,” he promptly messaged Michele.
He says he was shocked to receive a reply from Michele days after she was found dead.
She explained in her message that she and Rob had recently caught a second show of Lyrics From Lockdown, this time with their close friend Billy Crystal.
She called the performance “amazing” and wrote, “We all said that we can’t wait to watch it with you.”
So how is it possible that Williams received such a message from Michele days after her murder?
Well, communication tends to move much more slowly behind bars, as all incoming and outgoing messages need to be monitored.
So the Reiners wrote their final missives to Williams before their murders, but he didn’t receive them until well after he had learned of their deaths.
It’s just one more macabre detail of this shockingly grim situation.
As you’re probably aware by now, Rob and Michele were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14.
Their son, Nick Reiner, was later arrested and charged with their murders.
Just hours earlier, the family had attended a holiday party hosted by their friend Conan O’Brien.
Nick reportedly behaved erratically at the party, and other guests discussed calling 911 but ultimately decided not to.
The 32-year-old is currently behind bars awaiting trial.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.