“Michele was my heart,” Nanon Williams said of the late photographer, who advocated for him to receive a new trial.

Inmate shares email from Michele Reiner sent hours before she and Rob were killed

"Michele was my heart," Nanon Williams said of the late photographer, who advocated for him to receive a new trial.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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January 6, 2026 3:40 p.m. ET

Michele Reiner in 2017. Credit:

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

- Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner befriended Nanon Williams after seeing *Lyrics From Lockdown*, a play inspired by his life, in 2016.

- The filmmakers regularly emailed and called Williams, who was convicted of a 1992 murder in Texas and is seeking a new trial.

- Michele sent Williams a heartfelt email hours before she died in December.

A man convicted of murder in Texas is reflecting on his friendship with Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner.

Nanon Williams, who was sentenced to death in 1995 after being convicted of a 1992 killing in Houston, discussed his relationship with the late filmmaking couple in an interview with NBC News.

"They became a part of me," Williams said, describing the Reiners as "an integral part of my life."

Williams, who maintains that he "never killed anyone" and had his sentence reduced to life without parole in 2005, inspired Bryonn Bain's play *Lyrics From Lockdown*. The Reiners saw the show in 2016, prompting Rob to join the production as an executive producer that helped expand the show's audience — and led the couple to begin a heartfelt correspondence with Williams via phone calls and emails.

Nanon Williams.

Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative/Youtube

"Michele was my heart," the inmate said of the famed photographer, noting that she spoke with him about her family and frequently asked him whether he was sleeping and eating.

Michele's final email to Williams, which he shared with NBC News, was timestamped on Dec. 13 at 8:26 p.m. ET — just hours before she and Rob were killed in their Los Angeles home. The email discussed a performance of *Lyrics From Lockdown* that the Reiners attended the previous night with a number of guests, including Williams' wife, Tera.

"I'm sure you have heard from Tera, but the show last night was amazing," Michele wrote to Williams. "We've seen it several times but he keeps improving it and it gets better and better. He has more videos of you which are great. He's so talented. We all said that we can't wait to watch it with you."

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Michele went on to discuss the crowd at the show, which included Georgetown professor Marc Howard and the Reiners' good friend Billy Crystal.

"Your whole family was there, it was great," the photographer wrote. "I loved your mother. She is so beautiful and I told her that she must have done something right because you turned out so well. And your sisters were there and all the kids. And Marc Howard and his girlfriend. We also brought Billy Crystal, who loved it and was so moved by it."

Michele signed off affectionately. "Hope you're doing well," she wrote. "Love you."

Michele Reiner and Rob Reiner in 2013.

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

The Reiners advocated on Williams' behalf as he sought a new trial in 2024, writing impassioned letters defending his character after the Texas Forensic Science Commission released a report indicating that the ballistics testimony used in Williams' conviction was proven incorrect by later testing.

"Rob and Michele didn't want credit for trying to help me," Williams said. "It was just because they loved me."

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The Reiners' daughter, Romy, also reflected on the family's relationship with Williams. "My parents spoke about him with such love," she told NBC News. "He has taught me more about life and human compassion than anyone I've ever met."

Romy also said, "He became like family."**

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