Rob and Michele Reiner Bonded With Former Death Row Inmate Years Before Their Murders: They 'Spoke About Him With Such Love'

Rob and Michele Reiner had good intentions until the very end.

The When Harry Met Sally director and his wife, Michele, had befriended and bonded with a former death row inmate, even staying in touch with the individual before their murders last year.

The couple, who were allegedly killed by their son Nick on December 14, 2025, at their Los Angeles home, had spent the last few years of their lives advocating for the release of felon Nanon Williams.

Nanon, now 51, was convicted of the killing of 19-year-old Adonius Collier in Houston back in 1992. He was then given the death penalty at a 1995 trial. However, his sentence was later reduced to life in prison without parole.

Nanon spoke with NBC News on January 5 about how he got in contact with Rob and Michele. After watching a performance of Lyrics From Lockdown in 2016 — a show that was inspired by Nanon's life story — they reached out to Nanon, and a lifelong friendship began.

“I didn’t really know who Rob was,” Nanon, who was just 17 years old when he was arrested, told the outlet in an interview from his Texas prison.

He has always denied any wrongdoing.

Nanon revealed that the late couple often had weekly correspondence with him, including emails and phone calls. “The more they learned, the more pissed off Rob became, and the more loving Michele became,” he said.

“He became like family,” Rob and Michele's daughter Romy told NBC in a statement, adding that Nanon became like a son to the slain filmmaker.

“My parents spoke about him with such love,” she said. “He has taught me more about life and human compassion than anyone I’ve ever met.”

The Reiners were “an integral part of my life,” Nanon added. “They became a part of me.”

Both Michele and Rob penned letters for Nanon when he requested a new trial in an attempt to overturn his conviction. “He is the most intuitive person I’ve ever known,” Michele's note read. “And although he says we have given him so much, he has given me so much more.”

As for the Princess Bride director, he wrote: “I’ve led a high profile life for over fifty years. And in that time I’ve met some very impressive and influential people. But if I’m being honest, apart from my father [Carl Reiner], no one has impressed me more and been more influential to me than Nanon Williams.”

According to NBC, Michele emailed Nanon on December 13, 2025, hours before she and Rob were killed. Just one day prior, the duo attended a performance of Lyrics From Lockdown in Los Angeles with their pal Billy Crystal.

The comedian, 77, “loved it and was so moved by it.”

Michele added in her loving message: “We all said we can’t wait to watch it with you.”

Nanon didn't receive the email until days after its original transmission due to his jail's screening policies. He was in complete shock upon hearing about their passings and initially didn't believe the news.

“I was judged to be a killer, a monster beyond redemption. The question I ask myself is, ‘What would they want for their son [Nick]?'" Nanon wondered to NBC. "What love and compassion and understanding would they want for him? If they would have it for me, why not him?”