Imagine getting heartfelt emails from friends after they’ve tragically passed—Texas death row inmate Nanon Williams claims just that, receiving delayed messages from Hollywood power couple Rob and Michele Reiner post-mortem.
This gripping story unfolds as Williams, a 51-year-old prisoner at W.F. Ramsey Unit in Brazoria County, Texas, reveals a deep bond with the Reiners, forged in 2016, only to be shattered by their brutal murders on Dec. 14.
Their son now stands charged in the crime, adding a tragic twist to an already heartbreaking tale.
The friendship began when the Reiners caught Williams’ powerful presentation, "Lyrics From Lockdown," a raw look at race and the prison system.
Williams, imprisoned since age 17 and maintaining his innocence, found champions in the Reiners, who emailed him nearly every day.
They even offered a home if he were ever freed, a gesture beyond typical advocacy.
Rob, initially unaware of Williams’ case details, grew furious over perceived injustices, while Michele poured out affection.
Williams cherished this dynamic deeply, seeing them as family in a system that often isolates.
The Reiners’ commitment wasn’t for Hollywood clout—it was personal, a quiet fight against a justice system they saw as flawed.
On Dec. 14, tragedy struck when the Reiners were found dead in their Brentwood, Los Angeles home by their daughter, Romy, who noted Williams had “became like family” to her parents.
Hours before her death, Michele sent an email to Williams, delayed by prison security protocols, received only after he learned of their murders via a prison tablet.
Desperate for answers, Williams emailed Michele, pleading, “Please, this can't be true. Please tell me the news is lying."
The last of three delayed emails arrived from the night before their deaths, after a Los Angeles performance of "Lyrics From Lockdown" attended by the Reiners and friends like Billy and Janice Crystal.
Williams reflected on their bond, saying, “Rob and Michele didn’t want credit for trying to help me. It was just because they loved me.”
Now, as Nick Reiner, the couple’s 32-year-old son, sits charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the story shifts to a darker family tragedy, while Williams’ tale spotlights a justice system many conservatives argue is too quick to convict—hardly the “progressive” fix some claim it to be.
