'Just awful': Conan O'Brien breaks silence after Rob and Michele Reiner's alleged murders

Conan O'Brien has finally spoken out about the deaths of his close friends Rob and Michele Reiner, who died the night after they attended his annual Christmas Party.

The pair were killed in their Los Angeles home, with their son, Nick Reiner, charged over their deaths.

It was widely reported that the married couple had brought their son to Conan's party as they were reluctant to leave him at home alone.

"It's just so awful," O'Brien told the New Yorker in a newly published interview, breaking his silence on the alleged murders.

"I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there—and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend."

He added that he had grown close to the couple before their deaths.

"I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them, and I was seeing them a lot," he said.

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"My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so—they were just such lovely people.

"And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they're gone...I think I was in shock for quite a while afterwards."

Nick Reiner was reportedly acting erratically at the event, with his behaviour "freaking out the guests," according to Page Six and NBC.

He apparently made guests uncomfortable by asking them what their first and last name was, and whether or not they were famous. 

It was later revealed that the couple had argued with their son at the party.

They were found dead in their home with stab wounds the day after the party.

Nick was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

He faces life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if convicted. 

Rob Reiner rose to prominence as an actor portraying Mike 'Meathead' Stivic on the sitcom All in the Family – a role that earned him two Emmy Awards.

Over the years, he lent his acting skills to some iconic films. He starred as Max Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and worked with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in his role as Mr Whitaker in EdTV.

Reiner also appeared in several TV shows, including The Bear, The Good Fight, New Girl, Hannah Montana, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Simpsons.

After starting his career as an actor, Reiner expanded his skills to become a writer, producer and director.

He directed Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer in The Story of Us, worked with River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton for Stand By Me and was the director for the classic 1987 film The Princess Bride.

Reiner also directed classics This Is Spinal Tap, Misery, A Few Good Men and When Harry Met Sally, among many others.

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