Nick Reiner will not face death penalty if convicted of killing parents, D.A. says
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred
- Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said Tuesday that he will not pursue the death penalty against Nick Reiner in connection with the killings of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.
- Nick Reiner was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances late last year, meaning he could only face a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
- Reiner, who has struggled with drugs and mental health issues, allegedly stabbed his parents to death inside their Brentwood home in December. He has pleaded not guilty.
Nick Reiner won’t face the death penalty when he stands trial for allegedly killing his parents, beloved Hollywood icons Rob and Michele Reiner, Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor said Tuesday morning.
Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said the decision followed a “rigorous review” that included discussions with the Reiner family about their desired outcomes in the case.
Reiner, 32, is accused of stabbing his parents inside their Brentwood home in the middle of the night on Dec. 14. He was arrested in Exposition Park about 12 hours after his sister, Romy, discovered the bodies, police have said.
“This decision reflects our careful judgment about the most appropriate path to take in this case and does not diminish the severity of these crimes,” Hochman said in a statement. “I have spoken to the Reiner family and evaluated the mitigating and aggravating factors that are part of special circumstance murder cases. Seeking capital punishment should be reserved for the most egregious instances.”
A grand jury indicted Reiner on murder charges last month and upheld an allegation that he “lay in wait” to ambush his parents. He has pleaded not guilty.
The grand jury transcripts have not been made public and prosecutors have offered little information about a possible motive in the crime. A motion to unseal those transcripts is expected to be heard next month.
Deputy L.A. County Public Defender Kimberly Greene, who took over representing Reiner after high-profile attorney Alan Jackson dropped out this year, said in a statement that Hochman had made “the right decision.”
“Nick has a serious mental illness and a long history of struggling with self-medication,” Greene said. “His circumstances are a tragic example of how difficult it can be for people experiencing significant mental health challenges to access and navigate the treatment and support they need.”
Reiner has spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and drug addiction. The Times reported last year that he was prescribed medication for schizophrenia before the killings, though Greene has not raised an insanity defense.
He worked with his father to create the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which explored how drugs could damage a relationship between a successful actor and his privileged son, who was in the throes of addiction.
The two main characters were barely veiled versions of Rob and Nick, who was living in his parents’ guesthouse at the time of the killings.
Best known for his work on films including “When Harry Met Sally ... ,” “Stand by Me” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” Rob Reiner was a beloved actor and director. He met Michele on the set of “When Harry Met Sally ... ,” and famously changed the ending to have the central couple stay together after he fell in love with Michele during filming.
The couple had three children together, and Rob also has a daughter from a previous marriage. Michele was a well-regarded photographer who also produced documentaries and podcasts. She received an Emmy nomination in 2023.
Hochman’s decision won’t change much in practice. Although voter initiatives to repeal the death penalty in California have repeatedly failed, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the use of capital punishment in the state in 2019 and ordered the dismantling of the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. Xavier Becerra, who is heavily favored to win the governor’s race in November, said he will extend Newsom’s moratorium.
Rob Reiner spoke out against the death penalty in the years before his death and supported other progressive causes.
“I’m against capital punishment,” he told The Times in 2010. “I believe in gun control and a woman’s right to choose, and I think that as a society, we should always be concerned with lifting all our boats. So I guess I’m a 100% liberal.”
Hochman’s predecessor, George Gascón, barred L.A. County prosecutors from seeking death verdicts, a policy Hochman wiped away when he took office in late 2024. He has yet to seek a death verdict in any case, saying he’d reserve such punishments for school shootings, domestic terrorist attacks or the “cold-blooded” killing of a police officer.
Hochman also said Tuesday he does not expect Nick Reiner to go to trial until next year.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
Greenline Housing Foundation has become something of a “first aid kit” for Eaton fire survivors, offering financial services that range from temporary housing grants to land banking that have helped some families fund their paths back home.
The Hillside Strangler murders terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s. The killers were a pair of sadistic cousins. One confessed. The other was set to stand trial—until L.A. prosecutors flinched.
Hosts Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito dig into family planning: what it means for Latinos in 2026, why it’s still taboo in our communities, and how much has changed in one generation.
