Nick Reiner made his first appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday morning, roughly three days after allegedly killing his parents — beloved Hollywood figures Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner — inside their Brentwood home.
Flanked by his attorney, Alan Jackson, and two other lawyers, Reiner was barely visible from the courtroom gallery during the brief hearing. He donned a blue suicide prevention smock frequently worn by defendants who pose a risk of self-harm.
Reiner, 32, was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday, and could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said that no decision had been made on seeking capital punishment in the Reiners’ slayings. Such reviews normally take months.
A judge approved Jackson’s request Wednesday to continue Reiner’s arraignment to Jan. 7. He did not enter a plea.
“There are very very complex, serious issues associated with this case,” that need to be analyzed, Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing. Jackson did not answer any questions even as reporters probed him about his client’s mental health and asked to know who was paying for his legal services.
“We ask that during this process you allow the system to move forward in the way it was designed. Not with a rush to judgment. Not with jumping to conclusions. But with restraint and with dignity,” he said.
Reiner will continue to be held in Los Angeles County jail without bail.
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead of stab wounds in the master bedroom of their Brentwood home around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, authorities have said. The couple was discovered by their daughter who arrived at the home after a massage therapist called her to say her parents weren’t answering the gate at their home.
About six hours later, Los Angeles police officers arrested Nick Reiner in Exposition Park near the USC campus. He was taken into custody without incident. It is not clear how authorities linked Nick Reiner to the killings.
Rob Reiner, second left, poses with his wife Michele, left, and children Jake, center, Romy and Nick at the 41st Annual Chaplin Award Gala at Avery Fisher Hall in 2014 in New York.
(Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
A beloved director and comedic actor, Rob Reiner was known for his work on iconic films including “When Harry Met Sally,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s “Stand By Me” and the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap.” The 78-year-old also had a multi-episode guest role in the most recent season of “The Bear.” Rob and Michele met on the set of “When Harry Met Sally” and had three children together. Rob also has a daughter from his previous marriage.
Nick’s siblings, Jake Reiner and Romy Reiner, issued their first public statement since their parents’ deaths on Wednesday.
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. 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,” they said.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
Nick was the middle child of the couple, and his struggles with addiction were long documented. Father and son had worked together on a semi-autobiographical film about the situation titled “Being Charlie.”
Authorities have not provided any details about a possible motive in the case. But family friends told The Times that Rob and Nick Reiner got into an argument at a holiday party at the home of talk show host Conan O’Brien on Saturday evening. Many party guests noticed Nick acting strange, the friends said, but it’s not clear what they were arguing about.
Authorities have declined to provide a specific timeline of the attacks or describe the weapon Nick Reiner allegedly used. Nick, who lived in his parent’s guesthouse, checked into the Pierside Santa Monica hotel on Sunday, after the killings, according to a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Hotel staff also confirmed he stayed there and that police had been present since Sunday.