Reiner slayings rattle small-town Brentwood

Celebrity enclave gets unwanted spotlight as it mourns

- BY SALVADOR HERNANDEZ

CHRISTINA HOUSE Los Angeles Times A WOMAN walks by television cameras and lights in front of the Reiners' home in Brentwood on Monday.

Sandwiched between Bel-Air and Santa Monica, the tony Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood has long been home to more than its fair share of industry captains, actors, directors, musicians, media moguls and professional athletes.

But despite its tall hedges, multimillion-dollar homes and marquee names, residents say Brentwood feels like a small town. It's not that unusual to see a famous face at the local coffeehouse or supermarket, or power-walking along San Vicente Boulevard.

"You could also be walking around the Country Mart and, hey, there’s Dustin Hoffman. It happens," said Jeff Hall, founder of Brentwood News and a Brentwood resident for 35 years.

Now, residents here are taking the shocking killings of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and his photographer wife, Michele, hard. Reiner was a popular figure among a legion of fans, as well as those who called him a neighbor. Compounding the pain has been the arrest of their son Nick, who lived in the Reiners’ guesthouse and grew up in the area.

Since news of the killing broke Sunday, the international media have descended on the community. The streets are dotted with TV trucks beaming live coverage and reporters looking to make sense of the violence.

This too is something Brentwood is familiar with. In 1962, the death of Marilyn Monroe brought notoriety. Then, 31 years ago, Brentwood was under siege for months by one of the most sensational killings of all time. Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Brown's condo on Bundy Drive. Days later, O.J. Simpson was arrested after leading police on an infamous “slow-speed chase” from Orange County to the gates of his Brentwood estate on Rockingham Avenue.