Investigators relied on a series of high-tech digital geolocation and surveillance tools to track down Nick Reiner after he allegedly slaughtered his famous parents in their Los Angeles mansion.
Police followed Reiner’s movements through the city by using location data from his cellphone, along with other electronic devices, app footprints and a network of cameras, sources told the Los Angeles Times.
Reiner, whose new schizophrenic medication was allegedly putting him “out of his head,” was arrested at 9:15 p.m. in Exposition Park area near USC — 14 miles away from Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s Brentwood home and six hours after police discovered their bodies.
It’s not clear whether Reiner used any public transportation as he bounced between a hotel and the park, but police were able to obtain the data from his phone around 7 p.m. Sunday, sources told the paper.
Police have been tight-lipped about how they tracked down the murder suspect, though Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said during a news conference this week that Reiner was “found with good, solid police work and investigative tools.”
Relying on geolocation technology has become increasingly common for law enforcement in such cases, especially now that warrants for accessing such data can be obtained quickly, said Justin Kelley, the vice president of global operations at Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services and a former commanding officer with the Connecticut State Police.
Cellphones ping off the nearest towers about every seven seconds, offering investigators the most up-to-date locations.
“The raw data will actually give you a triangulation and they’ll actually narrow it down to real-time landmarks and streets. It’s not as real-time as, you know, someone just walked across the parking lot. It buffers a little bit,” Kelley explained to the LA Times.
Police are also able to use sensor technology from fitness apps, maps and other applications on phones to get data that will help them locate a suspect, Kelley continued.
“You can have your phone in sleep mode, airplane mode and you’re going to get a signal,” Kelley said. “If they don’t power their phone down all the way and they have several apps open, police are going to be able to get their location.”
Surveillance footage obtained by cops showed Reiner, 32, around 8:20 p.m. buying a sports drink at a south LA gas station.
He waited on the Arco gas station corner for the hour before he was arrested, only going back inside when he saw an off-duty security guard in the parking lot outside.
“He was just standing up there,” an employee told the LA Times. “I don’t know if he was waiting for somebody, but he spent at least one hour just standing there.”
Here’s the latest on the death of Rob Reiner:
“He was nervous.”
He was finally collared at a gas station the LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Unit around 9:15 p.m. Sunday, about 15 miles from his parents’ home, dramatic video of his arrest shows.
Reiner had a history of substance abuse and was reportedly taking a new medication to treat his schizophrenia at the time of the horrifying murders.
Police say he stabbed his parents, director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, to death in their Brentwood home.
He made his first in-person court appearance on Wednesday, showing up in a suicide vest and sporting a blank stare, only opening his mouth to utter “yes, your honor” when he waived his right to a speedy arraignment.
He is due back in court on Jan. 7 for an arraignment.
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