Rob Reiner and wife Michele’s son Nick Reiner to face court over murder of parents
Nick Reiner is set to be arraigned and enter a plea in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
His scheduled appearance in a Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday comes three-and-a-half weeks after the beloved actor-director and his wife of 36 years were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles, authorities said.
Nick Reiner, 32, the youngest of Rob Reiner’s four children, was arrested hours later, and has been held without bail since.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.He was charged two days later with two counts of first-degree murder.
He did not enter a plea during a brief first court appearance December 17, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock.
Nearly all defendants in criminal cases plead not guilty at this stage.
If Nick Reiner pleads not guilty, the case would usually head towards a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.
His mental competence for trial could also be a factor.
A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his severe struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, Being Charlie, that was very loosely based on their lives.
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of December 14, and they were found in the late afternoon, authorities said.
The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from “multiple sharp force injuries”, but released no other details, and police have said nothing about possible motives.
Reiner’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, is a high-profile defence lawyer who represented Harvey Weinstein at his Los Angeles trial and Karen Read at her intensely followed trials in Massachusetts.
After the initial Reiner hearing, Jackson called the case “a devastating tragedy”.
He said the proceedings would be very complex and asked that the circumstances be met “not with a rush to judgment”.
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 cases included the Menendez brothers’ attempt at resentencing and the trial of Robert Durst.
Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ‘90s.
His credits included This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally, during whose production he met Michele Singer, a photographer, and married her soon after.
