Rob, Michele Reiner murders: What we know about charges against son Nick and what happens next

Just two days after Hollywood director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their home, their son, Nick Reiner, was charged with the first-degree murder of his dad and mom.

Many features of what occurred are unsure as investigators maintain particulars shut throughout an energetic investigation. But the deaths of the 2 Hollywood fixtures have upended the leisure trade, leaving colleagues, buddies and followers to pay tribute to their legacy.

As the investigation unfolds, right here is what we know about the case against Nick Reiner and what comes next.

Prosecutors charged 32-year-old Reiner with two counts of first-degree homicide in reference to the deadly stabbing of his dad and mom, they introduced throughout a information convention Tuesday.

The charges embrace a particular allegation for allegedly utilizing a knife, and rises to the extent of a “special circumstance first-degree murder case” as there have been a number of murders, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated.

The charges, if convicted, carry a penalty of life in jail with out parole or the dying penalty, Hochman stated. His workplace hasn’t determined if they’d search the dying penalty, and they’d take the “thoughts and desires of the family into consideration” when making that call, he stated.

If prosecutors determine to pursue the dying penalty, a 2019 moratorium instituted by California Governor Gavin Newsom by way of an government order will stop the execution from being carried out. That might change when a brand new governor is elected within the 2026 election.

Cases that contain relations are amongst “the most challenging and the most heart-wrenching,” Hochman stated at a information convention. That’s because of the “intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved,” he added.

Reiner is presently being held on no bail and shall be arraigned at a later date, the district lawyer’s workplace stated. He goes by way of medical clearance, which is commonplace process, Hochman stated.

Reiner is being represented by prominent defense attorney Alan Jackson, who has beforehand represented Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein and Karen Read. Jackson informed NCS on Tuesday that it wasn’t clear when his shopper would make his first courtroom look.

Officials have beforehand given little particulars of what precisely occurred within the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, however clarified Tuesday that Nick Reiner fatally stabbed his dad and mom within the “early morning hours of December 14” of their Brentwood residence earlier than fleeing, the district lawyer’s workplace stated in a news release.

The Reiners’ daughter, Romy, lives throughout the road from their residence, and went to verify on her dad and mom round 3 p.m. native time Sunday when she found their our bodies, a supply stated. She left the home, discovered a pal who was staying along with her, and informed her to name 911, the supply stated.

Nick was arrested later that night within the Exposition Park space close to the University of Southern California campus, Los Angeles Police Department’s Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton stated, including Reiner didn’t resist.

Detectives spoke with relations and discovered Nick had been staying at a visitor home on his mum or dad’s property and was not current once they arrived. They additionally discovered of his historical past with drug dependancy, in addition to an argument that occurred between him and his dad and mom the night time earlier than, the supply stated.

Nick Reiner’s psychological well being might probably come up in future courtroom hearings, Hochman stated throughout the information convention.

After Reiner is arraigned, if there may be proof of psychological sickness, will probably be “presented in court and in whatever detail the defense seeks to do that,” Hochman stated.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell declined to reply when requested whether or not Reiner was beneath the affect on the time of his arrest.

Nick has beforehand spoken about his battle with dependancy, together with a number of stays in rehab and, at instances, being homeless.

In 2015, he co-wrote the movie “Being Charlie,” loosely impressed by his experiences with dependancy, and directed by his father. During the movie’s promotional tour, he typically appeared alongside his father to debate how his private experiences formed the story.

During a joint look on AOL’s speaker series, “Build,” Rob Reiner known as the undertaking “the most personal thing I’ve ever done.”

“You don’t set out to have a cathartic experience or be therapeutic in some way,” the elder Reiner stated, detailing how engaged on the movie pushed each of them to confront and higher perceive one another’s views.

“The fact that we were dealing with things that Nick had gone through … it forced me to have to see more clearly and understand more deeply what Nick had gone through, and I think it forced him to see things that I had experienced during this process,” he stated.

Nick’s restoration has by no means been linear. He has typically talked previously about quite a few stints in rehab and his expertise of homelessness. He’s additionally spoken about arguments he had together with his dad and mom whereas within the throes of dependancy.

But in a September NPR interview, Rob Reiner stated his son had been doing effectively.

”You know, he’s been nice. He hasn’t been doing medicine for over six years. I imply, he’s in a very good place, a lot better place. He’s an excellent place now,” Reiner stated.

Catch up on every part we discovered Tuesday:

The charges and what comes next:

What we know about the day of the incident:

NCS’s Andy Rose, Norma Galeana, John Miller, Cindy Von Quednow and Elise Hammond contributed to the report.