Rob Reiner’s Son Charged With Two Counts of First-Degree Murder As New Details About Killings Emerge
Authorities said the case rises to the level of “special circumstances” due to the multiple murders being alleged.
Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the stabbing deaths of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his producer wife Michele Reiner, who were found slain in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
The Reiners’ younger son was arrested without incident on Sunday night at a park near the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los Angeles, several hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered.
He appeared in court on Wednesday for the first time and did not enter a plea. Reiner’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, told Judge Theresa McGonigle of Los Angeles Superior Court that he sought to finish his arraignment on Jan. 7 so that he could see all the evidence involved in the case.
When asked if he agreed to waive his right to a quick arraignment and delay it until January, Reiner responded, “Yes, your honor,” before leaving the courtroom and ending the roughly five-minute hearing.
Jackson said outside of the courthouse that there were “very complex and serious issues associated with this case” that required time to be reviewed and that the public should not “rush to judgment.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said at a press conference on Tuesday that no decision has been made on whether the death penalty will be pursued by prosecutors and that his office will take the “thoughts and desires of the family into consideration” in making such a decision, which he added is the course of action taken in any death penalty case.
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Even if prosecutors pursue the death penalty and secure a conviction against Reiner, a moratorium on the practice instituted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom through an executive order from 2019 would prevent the execution. That, however, could change with the election of a new governor in 2026.
Hochman noted that the case rises to the level of “special circumstances” due to the multiple murders being alleged, and that Reiner will face “special allegation” for his alleged use of a knife.
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Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell said that investigators are not yet sure whether the murders of Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 68, occurred on Saturday night or Sunday.
“We are waiting on the coroner to be able and to try and determine as best they can time of death,” he said at a press conference at the Los Angeles Hall of Justice on Tuesday.
The timing of the stabbing could impact how the case is prosecuted. Nick Reiner was reportedly seen with his father on Saturday night at a holiday party hosted by television host Conan O’Brien in Los Angeles.