Nick Reiner Could Still Face Death Penalty in Parents' Killings: 'Ongoing Process,' Says Prosecutor

The youngest son of Rob and Michele Reiner appeared in an L.A. courtroom on Monday, Feb. 23

NEED TO KNOW

• Nick Reiner could potentially still face the death penalty if convicted of his parents’ murders, as prosecutors weigh their options
• Nick pleaded not guilty to murder on Monday, Feb. 23, in connection with the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner
• Police found the couple slain inside their L.A. home on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025

Nick Reiner could potentially still face the death penalty if convicted of his parents' murders, according to Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

The youngest son of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner was arraigned on murder charges connected to the December 2025 stabbing deaths of the couple in an L.A. courtroom on Monday, Feb. 23.

Nick, 32, pleaded not guilty.

He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with prosecutors planning to pursue a sentencing increase for a special circumstance of multiple murders and, as well as a special allegation he used a "dangerous and deadly" weapon such as a knife, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

At a press conference following the arraignment Monday, Hochman said that the case was "on track" and that prosecutors are going through an "ongoing process" to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

"This case is a death penalty eligible case," Hochman said. "Along those lines, we take the process in which we determine whether or not the death penalty should be sought extremely seriously, and it goes through a very rigorous process."

"We'll be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and we have invited defense counsel to present to us, both in writing and orally in a meeting, any arguments that they would like to make in consideration for our going forward or not going forward with the death penalty," Hochman continued.

Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead in the family's home in the Brentwood neighborhood of L.A. on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025.

Nick was arrested "without incident" close to six hours later near the campus of the University of Southern California and booked on suspicion of murder,

The Being Charlie screenwriter's plea comes a little over two months after he made his first court appearance on Dec. 17. Though he was scheduled to be arraigned at the time, he and his then-attorney Alan Jackson asked the judge to postpone the arraignment. When the court reconvened on Jan. 7, 2026, Jackson, 61, announced he was withdrawing from the case and that L.A. public defender Kimberly Greene would be stepping in to represent Nick.

Jackson's decision surprised many. The celebrity attorney said during the hearing that he and his legal team had "no choice" but to withdraw from the case. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse shortly after that hearing concluded, Jackson said he could not disclose why he had withdrawn from the case but that he believed his former client was not guilty of murder.

A spokesperson for the Reiner family issued a statement following Jackson's withdrawal.

“They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings," the spokesperson said.

Previously, Hochman said Nick was entitled to fair representation and expressed confidence that he would be found guilty of murder by a jury.

If convicted, Nick could face a life sentence without parole or the death penalty, given that the case is being tried under special circumstances, Hochman told reporters after the January hearing. “No decision at this point has been made with respect to the death penalty,” Hochman said at the time, noting the family's opinion would be taken into consideration.

Rob and Michele Reiner's deaths happened just hours after the A Few Good Men director and Nick were said to have gotten into a heated argument at a Christmas party hosted by Conan O'Brien, according to a timeline laid out in a press statement by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

“I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them,” O’Brien, 62, said in a recent interview with The New Yorker, adding that he and his wife, Liza Powel O'Brien, “were seeing them a lot.” 

“They were just such lovely people,” he said of the couple. “And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone … I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward. I mean, there’s no other word for it.”

Rob and Michele first met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally… and later married in 1989. In addition to Nick, Rob and Michele Reiner shared two other children, Romy Reiner, 28, and Jake Reiner, 34.

Rob also shared daughter Tracy, 61, with his first wife, the late actress Penny Marshall.

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In a joint statement released Dec. 17, 2025, Romy and Jake said that "the horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience" and asked the public for both privacy and "for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity" amid Nick's legal proceedings.

"Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day," Jake and Romy said.

Nick will next appear in court on April 29.

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