Prosecutors rule out death penalty for Nick Reiner

Los Angeles prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Nick Reiner, the 33-year-old accused of fatally stabbing his parents, director and actor Rob Reiner and photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, inside their Brentwood home.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the decision Tuesday outside a downtown courthouse, saying his office reviewed the case with senior prosecutors and weighed aggravating and mitigating factors as well as the wishes of the victims’ family.

“After a careful and thorough review of all these factors, the district attorney’s office will not be seeking the death penalty in this case,” Hochman told reporters. “That means that the maximum sentence that Mr. Reiner will be looking at is life without the possibility of parole.”

Hochman said prosecutors spoke with Nick Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy, before making the decision. He did not disclose what punishment the family had sought.

“We did speak with Nick Reiner’s siblings (and) they made their views very clear,” Hochman said. “We took their views into consideration in ultimately deciding not to seek the death penalty.”

Reiner, who turned 33 on Monday, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was charged by a grand jury with two counts of murder, along 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. If convicted of all charges, life in prison without the possibility of parole is now the maximum sentence he could face.

Hochman also said the trial will not begin in 2026, CBS News reported. It was not immediately clear whether Reiner would appear in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom for the pretrial hearing.

Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. According to NBC News, a massage therapist had arrived for a scheduled appointment but no one answered the door. The therapist contacted the couple’s daughter and nearby neighbor, Romy Reiner, who went to the house and found her father’s bloodied body. First responders later found both parents dead inside.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said the couple died of “multiple sharp force injuries,” CBS News reported.

Nick Reiner was arrested later that day after police spotted him walking near the University of Southern California, about 13 miles from the crime scene, according to NBC News.

The criminal case is separate from another legal matter involving Reiner’s effort to obtain at least part of his $1.5 million trust fund to pay for legal fees. The next hearing in that case is set for October, CBS News reported.

Rob Reiner was widely known for playing Michael Stivic, nicknamed “Meathead,” on CBS’ “All in the Family,” before becoming a director of films including “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “A Few Good Men,” “Stand by Me” and “This Is Spinal Tap.” Rob and Michele Reiner were honored Monday night during the Primetime Emmy Awards’ In Memoriam segment.