Nick Reiner will not face the death penalty if he’s convicted of killing his parents, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Tuesday.
Hochman announced the decision ahead of a court hearing for the 33-year-old son of famed filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Reiner.
A grand jury indictment was unsealed last month charging Nick Reiner with two counts of murder with special circumstances. He is accused of using a knife to kill his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother.
Prosecutors allege the killings involved lying in wait, extreme violence, and "a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness" against particularly vulnerable victims. The indictment bypasses a preliminary hearing and moves the case straight to trial.
"In deciding whether or not the DA's office was going to seek the death penalty, we have gone through a rigorous review, where we look at the aggravating factors as well as the mitigating factors," Hochman told reporters outside the courthouse ahead of Tuesday’s hearing.
"We have spoken to the victims' family. We have spoken to prosecutors and law enforcement and have worked with the most senior people in the district attorney's office. After a careful and thorough review of all these factors, the district attorney's office will not be seeking the death penalty in this case. That means the maximum sentence that Mr. Reiner will be looking at is life without the possibility of parole."
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta had previously conditionally sealed the grand jury transcripts following defense motions aimed at preserving trial fairness. Prosecutors noted that the victims' surviving children, Jake and Romy Reiner, requested the transcripts remain private to avoid additional trauma.
Autopsy records show the couple died from "multiple sharp force injuries." LAPD officers arrested Nick Reiner near USC less than six hours after his sister discovered the bloody scene on Dec. 14. He remains held without bail.
Meanwhile, a bitter legal fight brews over Nick Reiner's access to a $1.5 million trust fund his parents established in 1993. Defense attorneys argue the mandatory inheritance is needed to retain private counsel after prominent lawyer Alan Jackson left the case for nonpayment. However, access to the funds faces hurdles under California’s "slayer statute," which bars killers from profiting from their victims' estates.
Reports reveal tension boiled over the night before the murders at a holiday party hosted by Conan O'Brien, where Rob Reiner reportedly argued with his son over erratic behavior. Sources indicate Nick Reiner, who has a documented history of severe drug addiction, homeless spells, and a schizophrenia diagnosis, checked into a Santa Monica hotel hours later, where police subsequently discovered blood.
Rob Reiner, the iconic star of All in the Family and legendary director of The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, married Michele Singer in 1989. The double homicide has devastated Hollywood and left the surviving family pleading for privacy.
