District Attorney Nathan Hochman revealed that Nick Reiner, age 32, faces charges in connection with the deaths of his parents, 78-year-old actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. This announcement was made during a press briefing alongside LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Prosecutors are set to file two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances of multiple killings against him later today.
Additionally, there is an allegation that Reiner employed a deadly weapon, specifically a knife, during the incident.
This development follows two days after the couple was discovered fatally stabbed in their residence located in Los Angeles’ affluent Brentwood neighborhood.
Nick Reiner was apprehended on suspicion of the murders and subsequently detained within hours.
Although Reiner was initially scheduled to appear in court earlier today, his attorney, Alan Jackson, stated that due to medical reasons, he was not transported from the jail to the courthouse. Consequently, the court appearance has been postponed until at least tomorrow.
Jackson did not comment further on the case, and Nick Reiner has not yet entered a plea.
Representatives for the Reiner family did not respond to requests for comment.
Nick Reinerâs attorney Alan Jackson said his client will not be in court today for medical reasons.
Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse that he did not know what the medical issue was, but he said Reiner will not appear before tomorrow.
Rob Reiner was the Emmy-winning star of the sitcom All in the Family who went on to direct films including When Harry Met Sally… and The Princess Bride.
He was an outspoken liberal activist for decades.
Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer, movie producer and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
They had been married for 36 years.
Representatives for the Reiner family did not respond to requests for comment.
Police havenât said anything about a motive for the killings.
Nick Reiner’s attorney didn’t comment further about the case today.
Jackson is a high-profile lawyer who represented Harvey Weinstein at his Los Angeles trial and Karen Read at her trial in Massachusetts.
He was a central figure in the HBO documentary on the Read case.
Investigators believe Rob and Michele Singer Reiner died from stab wounds, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The official, who was briefed on the investigation, could not publicly discuss the details and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The killings were especially shocking given the warm comic legacy of the family.
Rob Reiner was the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, who died in 2020 at age 98.
Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar as the star of Rob Reiner’s 1990 film Misery, was among those paying tribute to the couple.
âI loved Rob,â Bates said in a statement.
âHe was brilliant and kind, a man who made films of every genre to challenge himself as an artist. He also fought courageously for his political beliefs. He changed the course of my life. Michele was a gifted photographer.â
Bill Clinton called the couple âgood, generous people who made everyone who knew them betterâ.
âHillary and I are heartbroken by the tragic deaths of our friends Rob and Michele Reiner,â he said in a statement.
âThey inspired and uplifted millions through their work in film and television.â
Three months ago, Nick Reiner was photographed with his parents and siblings at the premiere of his father’s film Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.
He had spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction, cycling in and out of treatment facilities with bouts of homelessness in between through his teen years.
Rob and Nick Reiner explored â and seemed to improve â their relationship through the making of the 2016 film, Being Charlie.
Nick Reiner co-wrote and Rob Reiner directed the film about the struggles of an addicted son and a famous father.
It was not autobiographical but included several elements of their lives.
âIt forced us to understand ourselves better than we had,â Rob Reiner told the AP in 2016.
âI told Nick while we were making it, I said, âYou know it doesnât matter, whatever happens to this thing, we won already.ââ
Rob Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and â90s, including This is Spinal Tap and A Few Good Men.
He met Michele Singer Reiner on the set of When Harry Met Sally…, and their meeting would inspire the film’s shift to a happy ending, with stars Billy Crystal â one of Reiner’s closest friends for decades â and Meg Ryan ending up together on New Year’s Eve.
The Reiners were outspoken advocates for liberal causes and major Democratic donors.
