Live Updates: Reiner Son Appears in Court for First Time in Parents’ Murder Case

 

Live Updates: Reiner Son Appears in Court for First Time in Parents’ Murder Case

 

Nick Reiner, who did not enter a plea, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Singer Reiner. The couple’s other children said they were experiencing “unimaginable pain.”

 

Tim Arango

Soumya Karlamangla

Tim Arango and Soumya Karlamangla

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12/17/us/rob-nick-reiner-murder-charges

 

Here’s the latest.

Nick Reiner appeared briefly in court on Wednesday morning, a day after he was charged with murder in the death of his parents, the celebrated director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

 

Mr. Reiner, 32, had been scheduled to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court for an arraignment, during which he was expected to enter a plea. But his lawyer, Alan Jackson, told the court that it was “too early” for a plea and that he and the prosecution had agreed to delay the arraignment. It is now scheduled for Jan. 7.

 

Mr. Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents. Nathan J. Hochman, the Los Angeles County district attorney, is also pursuing a murder conviction with “special circumstances,” a designation that could make Mr. Reiner eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

 

In brief remarks to reporters outside the courthouse, Mr. Jackson said there were “very complex and serious issues associated with this case” that needed time to be examined. He urged the public and news media not to “rush to judgment.”

 

Mr. Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, on Wednesday spoke publicly for the first time since their parents’ deaths, issuing a statement asking for respect and privacy and for any “speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity.”

 

“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” the statement said. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”

 

A person close to the Reiners, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the immediate family was not yet ready to speak publicly, told The New York Times on Tuesday that Romy Reiner found her father’s body on Sunday after receiving a call from a massage therapist who had arrived at the Reiners’ Los Angeles home for a scheduled appointment.

 

After receiving no response at the gate, the therapist contacted Romy Reiner, who quickly went to the house and discovered her father’s body. Romy Reiner then fled the home. She did not see her mother’s body in the house and learned later from paramedics that she was dead, too, the person said.

 

Here’s what else to know:

 

A troubled path: The authorities said that Nick Reiner was arrested without incident on Sunday. Over the years, he has spoken publicly about his struggles with drug abuse. He collaborated with his father on the film “Being Charlie,” a project loosely inspired by his early life that offered an opportunity to help mend a fraught relationship.

 

Experienced prosecutors: Habib Balian and Jonathan Chung, the prosecutors assigned to handle the case against Nick Reiner, have managed complex homicide cases that attracted heavy attention from the media. Mr. Balian led an effort to block the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who killed their parents in 1989 and whose case received renewed attention from a popular Netflix show, and Mr. Chung secured a felony conviction last year against a man who broke into the home of Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles.

 

Hollywood legacy: Rob Reiner rose to fame as a sitcom actor before directing a slate of beloved films, including “This Is Spinal Tap” and “The Princess Bride.” Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer and later a producer, who also inspired Rob Reiner to rework the ending of “When Harry Met Sally …”. Rob Reiner had three children with Michele — Jake, Nick and Romy — while a fourth, Tracy, was adopted with the actress and director Penny Marshall.

 

Death penalty: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California issued a moratorium on executions in the state in 2019. But people in California are still sentenced to death every year, and the 580 people currently on death row could be killed if the moratorium is eventually lifted.