Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty in the stabbing deaths of his parents, acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner.
During a brief Los Angeles County Superior Court hearing on Monday, February 24, Judge Theresa McGonigle set a preliminary hearing for April 29, where prosecutors must present enough evidence for the case to move forward, according to Deadline.
The 32-year-old has been in custody since his December arrest and was again denied bail. He faces two counts of first-degree murder, along with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. Prosecutors have also alleged that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife.
Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on December 14. Their death certificates state they died within “minutes” of sustaining “multiple sharp force injuries” inflicted “with [a] knife, by another” inside the residence. The couple’s daughter, Romy Reiner, discovered her father around 3:45 p.m., while Michele was found later.
Nick was arrested in the Exposition Park neighbourhood hours after the bodies were discovered and was formally charged on December 16. If convicted, he faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole, or potentially the death penalty.
