Los Angeles prosecutors have charged Nick Reiner, the younger son of filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner, with two counts of first-degree murder over the stabbing deaths of his parents at their home in the Brentwood neighbourhood of the city, a case that has rapidly drawn national attention because of the family’s public profile and the severity of the allegations.
Reiner, 32, made his first appearance in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, but did not enter a plea. The court postponed the arraignment and set a further hearing date, after the defence requested additional time. In the brief proceedings, Reiner spoke only once, responding “Yes, your honour” when a judge asked whether he agreed to waive his right to a speedy arraignment, according to reports from the hearing.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges in a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, naming the victims as Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, and describing the case as “shocking and tragic”. Hochman said prosecutors had filed two first-degree murder counts and that the case involved the deaths of a married couple at their Brentwood home over the weekend.
Court filings and public statements released by authorities have provided only limited detail about the circumstances of the killings, and police have not publicly identified a motive. Reuters reported that prosecutors said a knife was used, while noting that few other details had been given about what happened inside the home. The same report said investigators had not publicly stated whether drug use was a factor.
The killings came to light on Sunday afternoon when emergency responders were called to the property, after concerns were raised that those inside could not be contacted, according to accounts cited in multiple reports. Reuters said the bodies were discovered on Sunday afternoon and that Nick Reiner was arrested later that night near a downtown Los Angeles park close to the University of Southern California campus.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later determined that Rob and Michele Reiner died from multiple sharp force injuries and ruled both deaths homicides, according to reporting that cited the examiner’s findings.
Outside court, Nick Reiner’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, urged the public not to draw conclusions early in the case and said the defence needed time to examine what he described as complicated issues. Reuters quoted Jackson saying: “Today we’re going to rest on where we stand procedurally, which is, this was a continuance of arraignment. Nothing happened today, substantively,” before adding: “This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family.” Jackson also said: “There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. Those need to be thoroughly, but very carefully dealt with and examined.”
Family members did not attend the court hearing, according to Reuters, but Reiner’s siblings later issued a public statement of grief. Reuters reported that brother Jake Reiner, 34, and sister Romy Reiner, 27, released their first comment since the deaths, writing: “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day.” They continued: “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
A New York Times account cited by Reuters said Romy Reiner found her father’s body after being contacted when a massage therapist arriving for an appointment could not get an answer at the front gate. Reuters said the Times reported she did not realise her mother was also dead until paramedics arrived, citing someone close to the family.
Prosecutors have said that if Nick Reiner is convicted on the current charges, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, according to Reuters and other reporting. Hochman has said prosecutors had not yet decided whether they would seek capital punishment. While the death penalty remains legal in California, executions have not been carried out in the state since 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, leaving the system dormant in practice even as it remains on the statute books. (Reuters)
In his public statement announcing the charges, Hochman described family violence prosecutions as among the most difficult cases the office handles. He said: “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 added: “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.”
Rob Reiner was a major figure in American film and television for more than five decades, known both for his work on-screen and as a director of some of Hollywood’s best-known films. Reuters noted that he was remembered as an actor for playing Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the sitcom All in the Family, and later built a directing career that included This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, A Few Good Men, Misery and The American President.
His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, worked as a photographer and producer and was frequently present with her husband at industry events and political gatherings. The couple had been married for decades and were prominent in Los Angeles social circles, with Reuters reporting that the bodies were discovered hours before a planned evening gathering with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.
Michelle Obama later spoke publicly about the couple’s death and said she and her husband had been due to see them that night, according to CBS News. “We were supposed to be seeing them that night, last night, and we got the news,” she said during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, as cited by CBS.
Nick Reiner’s personal history, including struggles with addiction, has also been referenced in reporting around the case. Reuters said he had publicly acknowledged a years-long battle with drug addiction and described periods of homelessness that occurred when he refused treatment. Those experiences, Reuters reported, helped inspire the film Being Charlie, which Nick Reiner co-wrote with his father.
Investigators have said little publicly about the evidence they intend to present, and key questions, including the exact timeline of the killings and the circumstances leading up to them, are likely to be addressed in court filings and future hearings. Reuters reported that Hochman said some investigative details, including whether the murder weapon had been recovered, would be revealed in court, and that autopsies would determine the precise cause, manner and times of death.
For now, the legal process is moving slowly, with the arraignment delayed and the defendant held in custody as the case develops. In the first court hearing, the only words attributed to Nick Reiner in open court were his brief assent to waive a speedy arraignment, while his defence team insisted the matter required careful examination. As prosecutors weigh whether to seek the harshest penalties available under California law, the case has left a prominent Hollywood family shattered and raised a stark set of questions that the courts, and not public speculation, will be tasked with answering.
