Nick Reiner has entered a not guilty plea in the fatal stabbings of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, during a brief arraignment in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 23.
The 32-year-old appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court wearing a brown jail-issued jumpsuit, his head closely shaved. Aside from confirming his pleas and waiving his right to a speedy trial, he did not address the court. Judge Theresa McGonigle scheduled a preliminary hearing for April 29, when a judge will determine whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to move the case to trial. Reiner remains jailed without bail.
Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of first-degree murder, including special circumstances alleging multiple murders and personal use of a knife. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty. District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office is weighing whether to pursue capital punishment and has invited the defense to present arguments for consideration.
Authorities allege the couple was attacked inside their Brentwood home in the early morning hours of Dec. 14, 2025. Paramedics were dispatched to the residence around 3:30 p.m., but both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be multiple sharp force injuries and ruled the case a homicide. Death records state the injuries were inflicted with a knife and that the couple died within minutes.
Their Reiners’ daughter, Romy Reiner, discovered her father’s body that afternoon and later learned her mother had also been killed. Reiner was arrested that evening in the Exposition Park neighborhood, roughly 15 miles from the family home, and has remained in custody since. He was formally charged on Dec. 16.
The arraignment followed earlier delays, including the withdrawal of Reiner’s original defense attorney Alan Jackson in January, citing circumstances that made it impossible to continue. Although he declined to elaborate, Jackson said his team believed “pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.” Public defender Kimberly Greene later assumed the case.
A possible motive has not been disclosed. In the days after the killings, reports surfaced describing an intense argument between Reiner and his father at a holiday gathering hosted by Conan O’Brien the night before the deaths, with guests reportedly finding his behavior ‘unsettling.’ Reiner had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had undergone changes to his prescribed medication before the incident. Court records also show he was placed under a mental health conservatorship from 2020-2021.
Rob and Michele Reiner, married since 1989, were also parents to son Jake. Rob was previously married to Penny Marshall and adopted her daughter, Tracy, during that marriage.
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