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Larry Webb’s deathbed confession solves 2000 cold case murder of Susan and Natasha Carter, 10, whose remains were found hours after he died
An ailing West Virginia man confessed on his deathbed to killing a mother and her 10-year-old child nearly a quarter century ago and led investigators to their bodies.
Larry Webb, 82, said he shot and killed both Susan Carter, 41, and her daughter Natasha “Alex” Carter in August 2000 and then buried their bodies in a shallow grave in the woods on his property, WSAZ reported.
The remains of the mom and daughter were discovered on Webb’s Beckley property Monday — roughly six hours after their killer died at Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County in what police called “a bit of a poetic ending.”
Webb said that he had gotten into an argument with Susan Carter, who was living in his home with her daughter, over money and shot her. He said he was missing cash and believed that she had taken it and spent it, Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said.
After fatally shooting Susan, Webb said he “knew he had ruined his life forever,” investigators said, according to WSAZ.
He then shot little Alex dead so that there were no witnesses.
“Once he had killed both individuals, he had stored them in the basement of the home where he cried himself to sleep that night. And then over the course of the next two nights, dug a shallow grave in the woods on his property,” Hatfield said, according to Fox News.
Webb was previously indicted for Alex’s death in October 2023 and was placed in custody earlier this month after the FBI took back up the cold case in 2021, according to the local news station.
Investigators searched his home last year and found a bullet embedded in the wall of what was the girl’s bedroom, the station reported. The bullet was tested for DNA, which confirmed that blood on it belonged to the 10-year-old girl.
Webb reportedly confessed to the murders in a “come to Jesus” moment on his deathbed during the first week of April, West Virginia state police said, according to Fox.
Alex’s father, Rick Lafferty, who was in a custody battle with Susan over their daughter at the time of her death, said he was thankful to investigators for finally closing the case.
“Kind of a sad day, but also a happy day, because I can bring my baby home,” he said at a press conference announcing the findings.
new video loaded: Prosecutors Charge Nick Reiner With Murdering His Parents
transcript
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
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.
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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Nick Reiner will be charged with first degree murder in his parents’ killing
DA: Nick Reiner will be charged with first-degree murder in deaths of Rob & Michele Reiner
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