Nick Reiner, the son of film director Rob Reiner, is set to be arraigned and enter a plea on Wednesday in the killing of his parents.
His scheduled appearance in a Los Angeles Superior Court comes just over 3 weeks after the beloved actor-director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, of 36 years, were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the 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. 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 on 17 December, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock.
His attorney, Alan Jackson, has not indicated the plans for his defense. Nearly all defendants in criminal cases plead not guilty at this stage. Jackson could also ask for another delay before a plea is entered.
If Nick Reiner pleads not guilty, the case would typically proceed to a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient 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 addiction and mental health problems 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 14 December, 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.
Jackson is a high-profile defense attorney and former LA County prosecutor 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 will be very complex and asked that the circumstances be met “not with a rush to judgment.”
The counts against Reiner come with special circumstances of multiple murders and an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife. The additions could result in a more severe 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 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.
