Nick Reiner made his first appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday morning, roughly three days after allegedly killing his parents — beloved Hollywood figures Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner — inside their Brentwood home.
Flanked by his attorney, Alan Jackson, and two other lawyers, Reiner was barely visible from the courtroom gallery during the brief hearing. He donned a blue suicide prevention smock frequently worn by defendants who pose a risk of self-harm.
Reiner, 32, was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday, and could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said that no decision had been made on seeking capital punishment in the Reiners’ slayings. Such reviews normally take months.
A judge approved Jackson’s request Wednesday to continue Reiner’s arraignment to Jan. 7. He did not enter a plea.
Reiner will continue to be held in Los Angeles County jail without bail.
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead of stab wounds in the master bedroom of their Brentwood home around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, authorities have said. The couple was discovered by their daughter who arrived at the home after a massage therapist called her to say her parents weren’t answering the gate at their home.
About six hours later, Los Angeles police officers arrested Nick Reiner in Exposition Park near the USC campus. He was taken into custody without incident. It is not clear how authorities linked Nick Reiner to the killings.
A beloved director and comedic actor, Rob Reiner was known for his work on iconic films including “When Harry Met Sally,” and adaptation of Stephen King’s “Stand By Me” and the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap.” The 78-year-old also had a multi-episode guest role in the most recent season of “The Bear.” Rob and Michele met on the set of “When Harry Met Sally” and had three children together. Rob also has a daughter from his previous marriage.
Nick was the middle child of the couple, and his struggles with addiction were long documented.Father and son had worked together on a semi-autobiographical film about the situation titled “Being Charlie.”
Authorities have not provided any details about a possible motive in the case. But family friends told The Times that Rob and Nick Reiner got into an argument at a holiday party at the home of talk show host Conan O’Brien on Saturday evening. Many party guests noticed Nick acting strange, the friends said, but it’s not clear what they were arguing about.
Authorities have declined to provide a specific timeline of the attacks or describe the weapon Nick Reiner allegedly used. Nick, who lived in his parent’s guesthouse, checked into the Pierside Santa Monica hotel on Sunday, after the killings, according to a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Hotel staff also confirmed he stayed there and that police had been present since Sunday.
The post Nick Reiner makes first court appearance to face murder charges in killings of parents appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
