They Had Everything. Now They're Dead.

They Had Everything. Now They're Dead.

What the Reiner murders teach Florida retirees about the dangers that gates, guards, and good intentions can't stop

Holiday Situational Awareness: A Straight Talk Guide for Florida Retirees

Let me tell you something that shouldn't need saying but apparently does in this day and age.

We're heading into what's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Grandkids visiting. Church services. Maybe a nice dinner at that place you've been meaning to try. Shopping for gifts that'll probably get returned anyway, but that's beside the point.

Here in Marion County, we're blessed. And I don't use that word lightly.

We've got Chief Mike Balken running the Ocala Police Department, and Sheriff Billy Woods keeping order across the county. These are serious men who take their oaths seriously. Zero tolerance for nonsense. No apologizing for enforcing the law. No handwringing about whether criminals might feel uncomfortable being held accountable for their actions.

What a concept.

You can walk through the parking lot at Paddock Mall without checking over your shoulder every three seconds. You can attend evening services without wondering if your car will still have its catalytic converter when you come out. You can, in the words of normal people everywhere, live your life.

But here's where I need you to pay attention, especially those of you who've accumulated a few more birthdays than you'd care to admit, and particularly those dealing with physical limitations that make you move a little slower than you used to.

This is the season when the geography changes—and sometimes, the danger is closer than you think.

When Fame, Fortune, and Family Aren't Enough

Just yesterday—literally yesterday—Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found murdered in their Brentwood home. Stabbed to death. In one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Behind gates. With security. With every advantage money can buy.

Their son Nick has been arrested and charged.

Now, I'm not here to comment on the specifics of that family's troubles. But I am here to point out something that should sober every grandparent reading this: the danger didn't come from a stranger. It came from within the family circle. Reports indicate there was a heated argument at a Christmas party the night before. The holidays have a way of bringing tensions to a boil.

Rob Reiner was Hollywood royalty. "The Princess Bride." "When Harry Met Sally." "A Few Good Men." Two Emmys. Decades of success. A Brentwood mansion. Celebrity friends like Billy Crystal and Larry David, who were seen at the home looking devastated after the news broke.

None of it mattered when it mattered most.

If you think your comfortable retirement in Stone Creek or Oak Run or On Top of the World somehow insulates you from family dysfunction during the holidays, I'd invite you to reconsider that assumption.

The Annual Migration Problem

Every December, something happens in Florida that doesn't show up in the tourism brochures. Folks from those blue state paradises—you know the ones, where they've decided that arresting criminals is somehow the real crime—they come down here to visit family.

And look, most of them are perfectly decent people escaping the policies they probably voted for, which is its own kind of irony. But mixed in with Grandma's visitors from Chicago and Uncle Bob's kids from Portland are individuals who've grown accustomed to a certain... leniency in their home jurisdictions.

They've learned that consequences are optional. That the revolving door spins both ways. That a stern talking-to from a social worker is the worst they'll face for behavior that would've landed their grandfathers in the county lockup for six months.

Then they get here and discover that Sheriff Woods didn't get that memo. And sometimes, before that discovery occurs, they cause problems.

The Difficult Conversation About Difficult Family Members

Here's where I need to get uncomfortable with you for a moment.

Some of you have family members with issues. Substance abuse. Mental health struggles. Anger problems. Financial desperation. Maybe all of the above. These aren't character judgments—they're reality assessments. And reality doesn't take holidays off.

The Reiner family, by all accounts, had dealt with their son's struggles for years. Nick had spoken publicly about substance abuse and periods of homelessness despite his family's wealth. They tried to help. They made a movie together about his struggles. They kept him close.

And now they're dead.

I'm not saying you should bar the door against your troubled nephew or refuse to see your struggling adult child. What I am saying is this: situational awareness isn't just about strangers in parking lots. It's about honest assessment of everyone in your environment.

Ask yourself some hard questions before the holiday gatherings:

Is there a family member whose behavior has become increasingly erratic? Has someone in the extended family made threats—even "joking" ones—about money, inheritance, or perceived slights? Are there substances involved that lower inhibitions and raise volatility? Do you have a plan if things go sideways at the dinner table?

Having a plan doesn't mean you're paranoid. It means you're prudent.

The Brian Thompson Lesson

Just weeks ago, we watched a CEO—a man with resources most of us can only imagine—shot dead on a Manhattan street in broad daylight. Brian Thompson wasn't walking through a bad neighborhood at 3 AM. He was heading to an investor meeting. In Midtown. In the morning.

Fame didn't save him. Fortune didn't save him. The New York Police Department, hamstrung by policies that treat them like the enemy, couldn't save him.

Two high-profile cases in a matter of weeks. Different circumstances, same lesson: the comfortable assumptions we make about safety are exactly that—assumptions.

Practical Wisdom for the Season

Now, I'm not trying to ruin your Christmas. I'm trying to make sure you're around to enjoy many more of them.

For those of you using walkers, canes, or dealing with mobility challenges, you already know you're not winning any foot races. That's not defeatism—that's honest assessment. And honest assessment is the foundation of smart planning.

Shopping runs: Go early. I mean early-early. When the stores open. Parking lots are well-lit, crowds are thin, and the folks who make their living separating seniors from their property are typically still sleeping off whatever they did the night before.

Carrying cash: Don't. Or if you must, keep it minimal and separate from your cards. A money clip with forty dollars in your front pocket satisfies a mugger faster than explaining that you'll need to dig through your purse for the next three minutes.

Vehicle awareness: Before you get out, look around. Before you get in, look around. That twenty seconds of observation is cheaper than the alternative.

The buddy system: Yes, like kindergarten. There's a reason it worked then, and there's a reason it works now. Two alert seniors are dramatically less appealing targets than one distracted one.

Family gatherings: Know your exits. Have your car keys accessible. If a conversation starts escalating, you don't need to win the argument—you need to leave the environment. Pride heals faster than stab wounds.

A Word About Our Local Advantage

I want to be clear about something: we are genuinely fortunate to live where we live.

Chief Balken and Sheriff Woods run departments that understand a fundamental truth most blue-city leadership has forgotten—when you support law enforcement, law enforcement can do its job. When you prosecute criminals, you get fewer criminals. When you make clear that Marion County is not the place to test your luck, word gets around.

That doesn't mean we're immune to problems. It means we have leadership that takes those problems seriously when they occur.

If you see something concerning, report it. You won't be made to feel foolish. You won't be lectured about being judgmental. You'll be thanked for being a good citizen.

That's how it's supposed to work. That's how it works here.

The Bottom Line

We live in one of the safest regions in America, and that's not an accident. It's the result of leadership that understands a basic truth: when you punish crime, you get less of it. When you excuse crime, you get more of it.

But even paradise requires common sense. The locks on your doors aren't an insult to your neighbors—they're recognition that not everyone shares your values. Situational awareness isn't paranoia—it's the same instinct that kept your ancestors alive long enough to produce you.

And sometimes—as the Reiner family learned in the most devastating way possible—the threat assessment needs to include the people you love most.

Enjoy your holidays. Hug your grandchildren. Go to that Christmas Eve service. Buy that present you've been eyeing.

Just do it with your eyes open, your wits about you, and an honest assessment of everyone and everything in your environment.

Because peace on earth starts with paying attention to what's happening on your particular piece of it.

Tippecanoe and Tyler Too, I'm out of here.