Nick Reiner charged with parents’ murders, appears in court

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(The Center Square) - An arraignment for Nick Reiner, the son of actor/director Rob Reiner and Rob’s wife, Michele Singer Reiner, was postponed Wednesday to Jan. 7.

Reiner, 32, appeared in court Wednesday morning in a Los Angeles courtroom. He waived his right to an immediate arraignment and "Yes, your honor" when Judge Theresa McGonigle asked him if he understood he had the right to a speedy trial.

Reiner is charged with two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Alan Jackson, a high-profile lawyer who has previously defended famous clients, is Nick Reiner’s lawyer. 

“We ask that during this process, we allow this system to move forward the way it was designed to move forward,” Jackson said during brief statements made outside the courthouse on Wednesday morning after the arraignment was postponed. “Not to rush to judgment, not to jump to conclusions, but with restraint, dignity and respect for the system.”

Jackson did not take any questions from the press after his statements outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center building in downtown Los Angeles.

Reiner is in custody and is being held without bail. Los Angeles authorities previously said Reiner’s bail was set at $4 million.

The Center Square previously reported that the Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery-homicide division is handling the investigation into the death, and that police have concluded that Rob and Michele Reiner were both stabbed to death. They were both found deceased in their home by a member of their family. Police responded to the Reiners’ home in Brentwood, an upscale neighborhood of L.A., on Sunday afternoon.

Habib Balian, assistant head district attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, did not make comments to the press on Wednesday morning.

But District Attorney Nathan Hochman commented on the case in a statement Tuesday.

“Prosecuting cases involving family violence are some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching we face because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes,” Hochman said. “Rob Reiner was one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation. His murder and his wife of more than 35 years, Michele Singer Reiner’s murder, are shocking and tragic. We owe it to their memory to pursue justice and accountability for the lives that were taken.”

If convicted, Nick Reiner could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole or the death penalty, Hochman told reporters Tuesday, but said his office hasn't determined which punishment to pursue. 

But there has been a moratorium on the death penalty in California since Gov. Gavin Newsom, who's termed out by the end of 2026, signed an executive order in 2019.