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Colorado man dies after bite from pet Gila monster
A 34-year-old Colorado man died after being bitten by his pet Gila monster lizard last week, according to the Lakewood Police Department.
Christopher Ward was bitten by one of his two pet Gila monsters at his home in the 100 block of Holland Street the night of Feb. 12, a Lakewood animal control officer wrote in an incident report.
Ward’s girlfriend called 911 after finding Ward in a room with the venomous lizard latched onto his hand. The woman had been in the other room when she heard Ward say something and it “didn’t sound right,” according to the report.
Ward quickly started showing symptoms and began vomiting, passed out and stopped breathing, the woman told Lakewood Animal Control.
Ward was taken to St. Anthony Hospital and put on life support and later died, according to Lakewood police.
The animal control officer informed Ward’s girlfriend it is illegal to own Gila monsters in Lakewood and the woman requested officers remove the lizards from the home as soon as possible.
The lizard who bit Ward was named Winston, and Ward purchased him at a reptile exhibition in Denver in October when he was around 1 year old, according to the report.
The second Gila monster, Potato, was bought as a hatchling from a breeder in Arizona in November.
The Lakewood animal control officer, along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources officials, removed the lizards from the home on Wednesday and planned to relocate them to Reptile Gardens in South Dakota.
Gila monsters are the largest lizards in the United States and can measure up to 22 inches long, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Their venom is as toxic as that of a western diamondback rattlesnake and while they can hold on for more than 10 minutes, they produce a “relatively small amount of venom” when they bite, according to the organization.
While Gila monster bites are not usually deadly, there is no antidote for their venom, according to the San Diego Zoo.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office could not be reached for comment on the case. Coroner’s officials declined to tell the Associated Press if Ward died as a result of the venom or another medical condition.
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Video: Prosecutors Charge Nick Reiner With Murdering His Parents
new video loaded: Prosecutors Charge Nick Reiner With Murdering His Parents
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transcript
Prosecutors Charge Nick Reiner With Murdering His Parents
Los Angeles prosecutors charged Nick Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, the director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
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Our office will be filing charges against Nick Reiner, who is accused of killing his parents, actor-director Rob Reiner and photographer-producer Michele Singer Reiner. These charges will be two counts of first-degree murder, with a special circumstance of multiple murders. He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife. These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility parole or the death penalty. No decision at this point has been made with respect to the death penalty.
By Shawn Paik
December 16, 2025
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Nick Reiner will be charged with first degree murder in his parents’ killing
Michele Singer Reiner, Rob Reiner and their son Nick in 2013.
Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Teen Vogue
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Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Teen Vogue
Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, is being charged with two counts of first degree murder. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said at a press conference Tuesday that the charges include a “special circumstance” of multiple murders and a “special allegation” that Reiner used a dangerous and deadly weapon — a knife.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“No decision at this point has been made with respect to the death penalty,” Hochman added.
Hochman called Rob Reiner an “iconic force in our entertainment industry” and his wife Michele Singer Reiner an “equally iconic photographer and producer.” The police became aware of their deaths on Sunday after a call from the fire department. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the cause and time of the deaths aren’t available at this time as they await updates from the coroner’s office.
Alan Hamilton, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said that Nick Reiner was arrested in public on Sunday, in the Exposition Park area of Los Angeles, near the University of Southern California campus. In response to questions, McDonnell said he was unable to say whether or not Nick Reiner was under the influence of drugs at the time of his arrest. Reiner had been open about his struggles with addiction in the past.


When asked whether there was evidence of mental illness in Nick Reiner’s background, Hochman said “any evidence, if there is any” would be presented in court. Hochman wouldn’t answer a question about whether Reiner admitted to the crimes, saying that is the type of evidence that would come out in court.
Hochman emphasized that “charges are not evidence” and that his office would be presenting evidence to jurors in a court of law. He asked people to rely on trusted sources and not hearsay about the case.
He said that, as in any case, his office would be taking “the thoughts and desires of the family into consideration.”
Prosecutors are filing charges Tuesday afternoon. Reiner is going through medical clearance – a normal process, according to officials – and will be brought to court for arraignment, where he will enter a plea. Reiner is currently being held without bail.


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Video: Nick Reiner Talked Openly About His Addiction Struggles
new video loaded: Nick Reiner Talked Openly About His Addiction Struggles
transcript
transcript
Nick Reiner Talked Openly About His Addiction Struggles
Nick Reiner was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder after his mother and father, the movie director Rob Reiner, were found dead in their home. The younger Reiner had been open about his struggles with drug abuse and homelessness.
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“I was scared to get in trouble…” “We’re talking with Nick Reiner and his father, Rob Reiner.” “I think I’m lucky in the sense that I have parents that care about me. And because of that, when I would go out and do, you know, things like drugs and stuff like that, I’d feel a tremendous amount of guilt because I’d think, oh, you know, they’re thinking about me right now. They want me to do good.” “How was it working with your son?” “Oh, good, good.” “Deep down, he trusted that we loved him and that we were there for him. And that put a little bit of a break on certain things. I mean, it’s a desire to survive.”
By Shawn Paik
December 16, 2025
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