Rob Reiner and woman Michele Singer Reiner befriended a man who was imprisoned at age 17 for a murder he says he did not commit, and spent years advocating for his release before his death.
In an interview with NBC news published on Monday, January 5 Nan Williams51-year-old detailed her bond with Rob, Michele and their children, after the late couple caught a performance of Byron Bainthe one man show Lyrics of Lockdown —partly inspired by Williams’ writing—in Los Angeles in 2016.
Moved by his words, the When Harry met Sally… The director and his wife contacted Williams in prison and began a lasting friendship.
“I didn’t really know who Rob was,” Williams said NBC newsadding that over the years, the couple became interested in her case, exchanging daily emails and weekly phone calls.
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home on December 14, 2025. At the time, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department had been called to the scene in the afternoon to administer “medical aid.” It was later reported that a 78-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman had been (…)
“The more they learned, the angrier Rob was, and the more loving Michele became,” said Williams, who was convicted of murdering a 19-year-old. Adonis Collier in Houston, Texas in 1992. He was sentenced to death after a trial in 1995.
Just 17 at the time of his initial arrest, Williams spent years on death row until a 2005 law banned executions for crimes committed by minors. His sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole, by NBC news.
Williams has maintained his innocence and his lawyers continue to appeal his conviction. In April 2024, the Texas Commission on Forensic Sciences he concluded that the ballistics analysis used to convict Williams was inaccurate.
“He is the most intuitive person I have ever met,” Michele wrote in a letter supporting Williams’ request for a new trial, for NBC. “And even though he says we’ve given him a lot, he’s given me a lot more.”
Rob and Michele Singer Reiner made numerous public appearances, and shots with several famous friends, in the days leading up to their murders. Us Weekly confirmed Monday, Dec. 15, that Rob, 78, and Michele, 68, died of “apparent stab wounds,” according to LAPD. Their shocking deaths came as (…)
In his own letter, Rob wrote: “I’ve led a high-profile life for over fifty years. And during that time I’ve met some very impressive and influential people. But if I’m honest, apart from my father (Carl Reiner), no one has impressed me more and been more influential to me than Nanon Williams.”
Rob and Michele weren’t the only ones to hook up with Williams. He was also virtually introduced to his three children, Jack34, Nick32 i Romy28.
Romy said NBC news“It became a family.”
“My parents spoke of him with such love,” she added in a statement. “He has taught me more about life and human compassion than anyone I have ever met.”
according to NBC newsMichele wrote an email to Williams on December 13, 2025, just hours before she and Rob were killed in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Rob and Michele had taken their best friend, Billy Crystalto a performance of Lyrics of Lockdown in Los Angeles on December 12. Michele wrote that Crystal “loved it and was excited about it.”
Michele wrote: “We’ve all said we can’t wait to see him with you.”
Rob and Michele were found dead inside his home on December 14, just two days after the performance. He was 78 and she was 70.
according to NBCWilliams did not receive Michele’s email on his state-issued electronic tablet until after the deaths. He also received two more emails from the couple, which they had sent before they died but were received days later due to prison screening policies.
“Please, this can’t be true. Please tell me the news is a lie,” Williams wrote to Michele after learning that two people were found dead in the Reiner home.
Rob and Michele’s son, Nick, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his parents on December 16. He has not submitted a statement yet. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, January 7.
Williams said NBC news“I was judged a murderer, a monster beyond redemption. The question I ask myself is, ‘What would they want for their child?'”
“What love and compassion and understanding would they want for him? If they had it for me, why not him?” he added.