Nick Reiner has been indicted on charges of murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, with prosecutors seeking to expedite the trial process. The 32-year-old son has been held without bail since his parents were found murdered in their home in December last year.
Nick was initially charged with two counts of murder, along with a special circumstance of multiple murders. The charges could make him eligible for the death penalty or life without parole. On Wednesday, the grand jury indictment was unsealed, adding a new special circumstance of “lying in wait.”
Not Guilty Plea and Upcoming Hearings
Reiner has pleaded not guilty to the revised charges. No trial date has been set, but a pretrial hearing is scheduled for September 15. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement: "This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing. We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice."
A petition is seeking to give Reiner access to $1.5 million from a trust account to rehire his private defence attorney, Alan Jackson. The hearing for that is set for Friday. According to documents filed in LA in June, half of the trust was due to be distributed when Nick turned 30, with the rest allocated when he turned 35.
Trust Details and Family Background
In the paperwork, obtained by People Magazine, it was claimed that he had not yet received the sum two years after his 30th birthday, with the full trust thought to be worth more than $1.5 million. "Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths," it reportedly reads. "But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation."
Rob Reiner, 78, known for directing "When Harry Met Sally," and his wife Michele, 70, were killed by multiple knife stab wounds. Their bodies were found by their daughter, Romy, at their Brentwood home. At the time, she reportedly told police that a relative "should be a suspect" because they were "dangerous." Their deaths were ruled homicides, with both dying from multiple sharp force injuries.
Nick was arrested hours after the discovery and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as two counts of special circumstances involving multiple murder and two counts of special circumstances using a deadly weapon, identified as a knife.
