Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the stabbing deaths of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his producer wife Michele Reiner, who were found slain in their Los Angeles home over the weekend.
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The Reiners’ younger son was arrested without incident on Sunday night at a park near the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los Angeles, several hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered. His arraignment will be set for a later date, and he is currently undergoing medical clearance.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said at a press conference on Tuesday that no decision has been made on whether the death penalty will be pursued by prosecutors and that his office will take the “thoughts and desires of the family into consideration” in making such a decision, which he added is the course of action taken in any death penalty case.
Read more: ‘Should Have Said Nothing’: Trump’s Rob Reiner Attacks Draw Republican Rebuke
Even if prosecutors pursue the death penalty and secure a conviction against Reiner, a moratorium on the practice instituted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom through an executive order from 2019 would prevent the execution. That, however, could change with the election of a new governor in 2026.
Hochman noted that the case rises to the level of “special circumstances” due to the multiple murders being alleged, and that Reiner will face “special allegation” for his alleged use of a knife.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell said that investigators are not yet sure whether the murders of Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 68, occurred on Saturday night or Sunday.
“We are waiting on the coroner to be able and to try and determine as best they can time of death,” he said at a press conference at the Los Angeles Hall of Justice on Tuesday.
The timing of the stabbing could impact how the case is prosecuted. Nick Reiner was reportedly seen having an argument with his father on Saturday night at a holiday party hosted by television host Conan O’Brien in Los Angeles.
Reiner was reported to have been living in the guest house on his parents’ property, although he was not present when authorities arrived at the scene.
Read more: Rob Reiner Did Nothing by Half Measures
The LAPD’s robbery homicide unit, gang and narcotics detectives, and a U.S. Marshals Service task force contributed to discovering Nick Reiner, amounting to “good, solid police work,” McDonnell said.
Officials are not disclosing whether Reiner’s family members provided information that led to his arrest.
“As we move forward, that information will be discussed in the appropriate venue, which would be the court,” LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said.
Reiner has previously said he has gone to rehab multiple times and has been homeless. He has also spoken about arguments he had with his parents while struggling with addiction.
McDonnell declined to say whether Reiner was under the influence when he was taken into custody on Sunday.
The defendant’s mental health could play a factor during upcoming hearings, according to officials.
“If there is evidence of mental illness, it will be presented in court and in whatever detail the defense seeks to do that,” Hochman said.
Los Angeles-based attorney Alan Jackson, who has taken on other high-profile clients, said he will be representing Reiner. Jackson is well known for representing convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, the actor Kevin Spacey in a 2019 sexual assault case where charges were dropped, and, recently, Karen Read, who in June was acquitted of second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe.
Jackson said it is not known when Reiner’s first court appearance will take place.
“You have to be medically cleared to be transported to the courthouse, and he has not,” Jackson said.
Jackson did not comment on how he became affiliated with Nick Reiner’s case.
Close friends of Rob and Michele Reiner released a joint statement to the Associated Press in which they remembered that the couple “had devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens. They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever.”
The statement was signed by Billy and Janice Crystal, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson and Ambassador James Costos and Michael Smith.
Less than 24 hours after the Reiners were found in their home, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social and lambasted Rob Reiner’s politics, baselessly blaming them for his death, referring to his “incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME” and his “raging obsession” with the President.
Trump’s comments sparked fierce blowback from figures across the political spectrum, including those within his own party.
“This statement is wrong,” wrote Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, whose district voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. “Regardless of one’s political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son. It’s a horrible tragedy that should engender sympathy and compassion from everyone in our country, period.”
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