Nick Reiner appears in court on murder charges in killing of parents

Son of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner who is being held without bail did not enter a plea

Screengrabs from an Access Hollywood interview where Rob Reiner talks about Nick Reiner's drug addiction in 2016. File picture

Nick Reiner, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, made his first appearance in court on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old, who is being held without bail, did not enter a plea, and his arraignment has been delayed until January.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles county district attorney’s office charged Nick Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders, and a special allegation for the use of a dangerous weapon, a knife.

The charges came two days after the couple was found dead in their Brentwood home. The couple’s daughter, Romy, was said to have discovered her father’s body in the house after receiving a call from a massage therapist who was unable to enter the property for a scheduled appointment, the New York Times reported. 

Romy “fled the house in anguish” and emergency responders discovered Michele Singer Reiner’s body was also in the home, according to the Times report.

The department said on Monday that officers responded to a call of a death investigation at the Reiner residence in Brentwood on December 14, where they said they discovered two victims, who were identified as Rob and Michele Reiner. Authorities said they determined that they had been the victims of homicide.

LA authorities said that their investigation “revealed” that the couple’s younger son, Nick Reiner, “was responsible for their deaths”. Authorities did not provide any additional details.

Nick Reiner was located later that evening and arrested.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the couple’s children Romy, 27, and Jake Reiner, 34, expressed gratitude for the “outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support”. 

The siblings asked 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”.

“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” they said in a statement provided to People. “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.” 

At a news conference on Tuesday announcing the charges against Reiner, Nathan Hochman, the district attorney of Los Angeles, said that Nick Reiner be arraigned in court on the charges once he had been medically cleared to be transferred from the jail.

Hochman emphasized that “charges are not evidence” and that “evidence is something we will be presenting in a court of law to meet the standard of proof we meet at every criminal case, which is beyond a reasonable doubt”.

Nick Reiner was initially expected to appear in court on Tuesday, but his defense attorney, Alan Jackson, told reporters he had not received medical clearance to do so.

In remarks outside the courthouse after Wednesday’s proceedings, Jackson said the case needed to be “thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined” and told reporters not to rush to judgment or jump to conclusions.

“There are very very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case,” Jackson said, calling it a “devastating tragedy” for the entire Reiner family.

Nick Reiner has previously struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues. He co-wrote Being Charlie, a film directed by his father, that was reportedly loosely inspired on his own experiences with addiction and mental health challenges, and on his relationship with his father.

Rob Reiner was one of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors with films including This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride, among others, while Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer, whose work included a portrait of Donald Trump that was used on his book The Art of the Deal, and a producer. The couple were also prominent supporters of liberal political causes.

The killing has sent shock waves through Hollywood. Some of the couple’s closest friends, including Larry David, Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks and Martin Short, issued a joint letter memorializing Rob for a “comedic touch beyond compare”. 

The couple were “a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring” and “devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens”.

“There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, It’s a Wonderful Life, ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea,” the letter reads.

Nick Reiner is scheduled to next appear in court on January 7.

— The Guardian