Nick Reiner, 32, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. The plea was entered by his new attorney, public defender Kimberly Greene, during an arraignment at a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday.
Reiner appeared behind glass in an enclosed custody area, wearing brown jail clothes, a change from the suicide prevention smock he wore in a previous court appearance in December. The proceedings had been postponed last month after his former attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from the case, citing circumstances that made it 'impossible to continue our representation.' Jackson maintained that Reiner was not guilty of murder.
Reiner has been held without bail since his arrest in December, following the discovery of his parents' bodies at their Los Angeles home on 14 December. The couple, aged 78 and 70, died from 'multiple sharp force injuries,' according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. Reiner faces a special circumstance of multiple murders and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon.
Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian informed the judge that the full autopsy report is still pending. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated after the arraignment that the case is eligible for the death penalty, but no decision has been made yet. 'We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances,' he said.
The killings have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, given Rob Reiner's fame as an actor and director. Nick Reiner had a documented history of struggles with addiction and mental illness, including a conservatorship in 2020. Reports indicate his behaviour had become increasingly erratic before the incident, and he had been prescribed medication for schizophrenia.
Comedian Conan O'Brien, who hosted a Christmas party the night before the bodies were found, described the Reiners as 'lovely people' and expressed shock at their deaths. 'To have that experience of saying goodnight to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone … it’s just so awful,' O'Brien told the New Yorker.
