Nick Reiner pleads not guilty in parents’ killings

Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the stabbing deaths of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer-producer Michele Reiner, inside the family’s Brentwood home, Los Angeles County officials said Wednesday.

Reiner, 32, entered the plea in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom to two counts of murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife.

“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “The indictment unsealed today also adds a special circumstance allegation that the defendant committed the murders by means of lying in wait. We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”

The indictment, returned last month, replaces the original murder case filed in 2025 and moves the case toward a jury trial without the public preliminary hearing that had been expected in the fall. Special circumstance allegations can increase potential penalties during sentencing.

Reiner is being held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court for a hearing on Sept. 15. If convicted, he faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said. The district attorney’s office said it will decide later whether to seek the death penalty.

His appointed defense attorney, Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene, declined to comment after the arraignment, NBC News reported.

Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Reiner, 70, were found dead Dec. 14 in their bedroom at their Brentwood home. CBS News reported that their daughter, Romy Reiner, found the couple, citing multiple sources. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said they died of “multiple sharp force injuries.” Nick Reiner was arrested Dec. 15, a day after the bodies were discovered.

The deaths shocked Hollywood and prompted tributes from entertainment industry colleagues, political figures and others. Rob Reiner became widely known for playing Michael Stivic, Archie Bunker’s son-in-law nicknamed “Meathead,” on CBS’ “All in the Family,” a role that earned him two Emmy Awards. He later directed films including “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men,” “Stand by Me” and “This Is Spinal Tap.”

Michele Reiner was a photographer and producer. CBS News, citing Variety, reported that she took the photograph of President Donald Trump used on the cover of his book “The Art of the Deal.” The couple married in 1989 and had three children: Nick, Jake and Romy.

CBS News reported that the night before the killings, the Reiners attended a party at Conan O’Brien’s home, where Rob and Nick Reiner had a brief but loud argument, according to sources who were at the party. CBS also reported that the couple had plans the day they were found dead with longtime friends Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama, according to the former first lady.

The family’s challenges with Nick Reiner, including his battles with drug addiction, had been publicly documented. Nick Reiner told People in 2016 that his struggles began in his teens and included repeated stays in treatment facilities, homelessness and relapses. In September, the family appeared together at the Los Angeles premiere of “Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.”