A grand jury in Los Angeles County has charged Nick Reiner with murder in connection with the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, while also alleging that he was lying in wait when he attacked them.
The indictment, which was returned by the grand jury after secret deliberations on July 20, was made public on Wednesday, coinciding with the 32-year-old Nick Reiner’s not guilty plea.
Rob Reiner, a prominent actor, director, and figure in Hollywood, alongside his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, was fatally stabbed in their residence located in the affluent Brentwood area of Los Angeles on December 14. Nick Reiner was taken into custody within hours of the incident and faced charges two days later.
The grand jury’s indictment signifies a significant advancement toward trial, enabling prosecutors to bypass California’s preliminary hearing stage where evidence is typically presented publicly.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman remarked, “This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing.”
He expressed hope that the grand jury’s indictment would bring the case closer to trial and ultimately to justice.
Potential for death penalty
The unsealed indictment does not present many new facts in a case that has been largely kept under wraps. Nonetheless, the allegation of lying in wait, paired with other factors, qualifies Reiner for the death penalty, although prosecutors have yet to determine if they will pursue it.
Details regarding how or why Reiner was lying in wait were not disclosed in the indictment. It also states that a knife was used in the attack, corroborating earlier reports indicating that the couple was stabbed.
Many fundamental questions surrounding the murders remain publicly unanswered. Prosecutors have refrained from discussing possible motives, and there have been minimal leaks from both sides regarding the case.
The chief medical examiner of Los Angeles County informed The Associated Press that he wishes to release the autopsy reports, but a court order has barred him from doing so.
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Nick Reiner appears in court on murder charges in his parents’ deaths
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Nick Reiner pleads not guilty to murder in the killing of his parents
The indictment surfaces as Reiner seeks funds from a trust established by his parents, claiming he requires the money to support his legal defense.
In a court petition, Reiner states that the trustees managing the trust have unjustly denied him access to the funds. Legal documents indicate that the inheritance was meant for Nick Reiner regardless of his parents’ status. The petition asserts that the trust contains at least $1.5 million in assets, although the trustees have not disclosed the specific amount.
“Nick loved his parents, and he is heartbroken by their deaths. However, the facts surrounding what occurred to them are not relevant in this trust litigation,” the petition asserts.
He is aiming to rehire prominent criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who initially represented him until Reiner’s siblings withdrew financial support for his defense, resulting in a public defender taking over.
A hearing regarding the petition is scheduled for next week.
Nick Reiner, the son of director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, has entered a not guilty plea to two counts of murder in the death of his parents last year. The district attorney has not yet decided on pursuing the death penalty in this case.
The Public Defender’s Office in L.A. County, which is representing Reiner, chose not to comment on the indictment.
In California, prosecutors have the option to charge a defendant through a preliminary hearing, a simplified trial where evidence is presented publicly and a judge determines if the case should proceed to trial. This was recently seen in the case of singer D4vd.
Alternatively, they can pursue a grand jury indictment in secret. They may also file charges publicly and subsequently seek a secret grand jury indictment, effectively creating a new case version, similar to what occurred in the Los Angeles prosecution of Harvey Weinstein.
Rob Reiner, center, poses with his wife Michele Singer Reiner and son Nick Reiner during Teen Vogue’s back-to-school Saturday kickoff event at The Grove in Los Angeles on August 9, 2013. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
Rob Reiner began his career as an actor, featuring in the sitcom All in the Family as Michael (Meathead) Stivic, who was the liberal son-in-law to the much more conservative and prejudiced Archie Bunker, portrayed by Carroll O’Connor. Reiner received two Emmy awards for this role and was nominated posthumously for an Emmy last month for his guest appearance on The Bear.
He evolved into a successful director, known for creating some of the most iconic films of the 1980s and 1990s, including This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, and When Harry Met Sally…, during which he met Michele Singer, a photographer. They married shortly afterward and enjoyed 36 years of marriage.
Nick Reiner was the second of the trio of children the couple had. He collaborated with his father on the screenplay for the 2015 film Being Charlie, which drew from Nick’s struggles with addiction and homelessness during his teenage years.
In April, his older brother Jake Reiner expressed that the experience of losing their parents and having Nick at the center of it all has been “a living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”