LOS ANGELES — Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of acclaimed actor-director Rob Reiner, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, where he is expected to formally enter a plea in the killings of his parents, authorities said. The court appearance comes more than three weeks after Rob Reiner and his wife of 36 years, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead with stab wounds inside their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood.
Nick Reiner, the youngest of Rob Reiner’s four children, was arrested just hours after the bodies were discovered and has remained in custody without bail since then. Prosecutors charged him two days later with two counts of first-degree murder. During a brief initial court appearance on Dec. 17, Reiner did not enter a plea. He appeared in shackles and wore a suicide prevention smock, according to court records.
His attorney, Alan Jackson, has not publicly outlined a defense strategy. At this stage of the proceedings, defendants almost universally plead not guilty, though Jackson could request additional time before entering a plea. If Reiner pleads not guilty, the case would typically proceed toward a preliminary hearing to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to hold him for trial. His mental competence to stand trial could also become a central issue as the case moves forward.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed in the early morning hours of Dec. 14, authorities said. Their bodies were discovered later that afternoon. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that both died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” Law enforcement officials have not released further details about the circumstances of the killings or a possible motive.
The charges against Nick Reiner include special circumstances alleging multiple murders and the use of a dangerous weapon, a knife. If proven, those enhancements could expose him to a significantly harsher sentence. Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
The prosecution is being led by Deputy District Attorney Habib Balian, whose recent high-profile work has included proceedings involving the Menendez brothers’ resentencing efforts and the trial of Robert Durst. Defense attorney Alan Jackson, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor, is also a prominent figure, having represented Harvey Weinstein in his Los Angeles trial and Karen Read in her closely followed cases in Massachusetts. After the initial Reiner hearing, Jackson described the matter as “a devastating tragedy” and urged that it not be approached with “a rush to judgment.”
A decade ago, Nick Reiner spoke publicly about long-running struggles with addiction and mental health. Those issues were explored in the 2016 semi-autobiographical film “Being Charlie,” which he made with his father. The film loosely mirrored their relationship and Nick Reiner’s battles with substance abuse, which he has said began in his teens. By age 18, he had cycled through treatment programs, periods of homelessness, and repeated relapses.
The Associated Press previously reported that Nick Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murder and held without bail shortly after his parents’ deaths. Investigators believe the couple was stabbed, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly. Police have declined to comment on any potential motive.
Representatives for the Reiner family did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was initially unclear whether Nick Reiner had retained legal counsel, though Jackson later appeared on his behalf.
Rob Reiner was one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation, with a career that spanned acting, directing, producing, and political activism. His directing credits include “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally,” and “A Few Good Men,” films that helped define American popular culture in the 1980s and 1990s. He first rose to fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on Norman Lear’s groundbreaking television series “All in the Family,” a role that earned him two Emmy Awards.
The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner married photographer Michele Singer in 1989 after meeting her during the production of “When Harry Met Sally.” The couple had three children together: Nick, Jake, and Romy. Reiner also adopted Tracy Reiner, the daughter of his first wife, actor-director Penny Marshall, to whom he was married from 1971 to 1981.
Michele Singer Reiner built her own career in film and media. According to IMDb, she was a producer on projects including “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” “God & Country,” “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life,” and “Shock and Awe.” Earlier in her career, she photographed the cover image for President Donald Trump’s 1987 bestseller, “The Art of the Deal.”
The killings drew reactions across Hollywood and political circles. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the deaths a devastating loss for the city, saying Rob Reiner’s work and advocacy “reverberate throughout American culture and society.” Relatives of the late producer Norman Lear, who died in 2023, said the deaths left them bereft, noting Lear often referred to Reiner as a son and admired the couple’s commitment to art, activism, and philanthropy.
President Donald Trump, in a social media post Monday, blamed Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition to him for the actor-director’s killing, an unsubstantiated claim that drew criticism for politicizing the tragedy.
Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighborhood, an affluent area of Los Angeles. The Reiners’ home is about a mile from where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were killed in 1994, a case that remains one of the city’s most notorious crimes.
As Nick Reiner prepares to face the court, the case is expected to draw intense scrutiny, not only because of the prominence of the victims, but also because of the complex questions it raises about mental health, addiction, and the criminal justice system’s handling of defendants with documented psychological struggles.
AP
