Rob Reiner: rob reiner’s son pleads not guilty as family keeps distance
rob reiner’s son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder on February 23, more than two months after the deaths of his parents. The hearing in Los Angeles coincided with reports that family members have not visited him while he remains in isolation at Twin Towers Correctional Facility.
Rob Reiner case details
Nick Reiner is identified in one account as the third of Rob Reiner’s four children and in another as the eldest of Rob and Michele's three children alongside siblings Max and Robbie. The parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner, 78, and photographer-producer Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found with "multiple sharp force injuries" at their Brentwood home on December 14. Death certificates recorded Rob Reiner’s body was found at 15: 45 and Michele Singer Reiner’s one minute later; cause of death for both is given as "multiple sharp force injuries" with the circumstances described as "homicide" and "with knife, by another". The interval between the onset of the attack and death is recorded as "minutes", while the time and date of death are recorded as "unknown".
Court appearance and plea
On February 23 at Los Angeles Superior Court, Reiner entered a plea of not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. Deputy public defender Kimberly Greene entered the plea on his behalf as he stood behind glass in an enclosed custody area of a packed Los Angeles courtroom. It was the first time the 32-year-old denied he fatally stabbed his parents. He spoke only to answer "yes" when the judge asked if he waived his right for the next steps of the case to proceed speedily. The judge told Reiner to return to court on April 29 for scheduling of a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors will present evidence and a new judge will decide whether there is enough for him to go to trial.
Jail conditions and isolation
Reiner has been held without bail since his arrest hours after Rob and Michele were found dead. He is currently held without bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles and has been in a mental-health unit. When Nick first arrived at Twin Towers he was placed on suicide watch; he has since been taken off that status but remains in high-observation housing, confined alone in a cell, monitored every 15 minutes, escorted by deputies and watched on camera whenever he leaves the unit. He eats alone, sleeps alone, and is currently allowed contact only with legal counsel and jail staff. On paper he can receive family visitors, but no relatives have come.
Family reaction and visits
No one from the Reiner family has walked through the visiting-room door at Twin Towers, and relatives are keeping their distance, described as torn between grief and disbelief. "He killed their parents. That changes everything, " one insider told columnist Rob Shuter's newsletter. Sources close to the Reiners described the situation as "grief layered on top of horror, " and one insider said, "They're mourning their parents while also trying to comprehend what he's done. You don't just walk into a visiting room after that. " Another source said, "Silence isn't about cruelty. It's about boundaries. It's about surviving somethin"—an unfinished remark in the published account.
Charges, lawyers and next steps
Prosecutors charged Nick Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder with a special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders; those charges carry a maximum sentence of life without parole or the death penalty. The decision whether to seek the death penalty has not been made; district attorney Nathan Hochman said the death penalty decision "goes through a very rigorous process. We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances. " The case will now be handled by long-time Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta, who has presided over many prominent murder, manslaughter and public corruption cases in recent years, though none have drawn the national media attention this case has.
Defense changes delayed earlier plea attempts. It was the third time Reiner had been set to enter a plea; a surprising change in defence lawyers kept it from happening until the February 23 hearing. High-profile lawyer Alan Jackson abruptly withdrew from the case last month, citing "circumstances beyond control, " and later insisted he still believed his former client was not guilty under California law. In the meantime a public defender took over and Kimberly Greene, identified as a deputy public defender, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
Outside court, some coverage noted the Reiners had attended a party hosted by Conan O'Brien the night before the murders, where Nick is said to have had a verbal argument with Bill Hader and the family allegedly left the party shortly afterwards. Conan O'Brien spoke of the "shock" of their deaths, saying, "My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so — they were just such lovely people. 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. It's just very – it's so awful. It’s just so awful. " Tributes poured in for Rob Reiner after the news broke, with public messages from Jack Black, Jane Fonda, Stephen King, Barack and Michelle Obama, Paul McCartney and Meg Ryan.
One article described itself in a promotional line as "The world’s defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952. "
Reiner appeared in court with a shaved head and light facial hair, wearing brown jail clothes. He talked to his lawyer briefly through the glass before the judge began the hearing; at one point a low door in the enclosure was opened and they crouched down and spoke face-to-face. He was not wearing the suicide-prevention smock he wore in his first court appearance in December, days after his parents' killings.
Prosecutors will present evidence at the preliminary hearing set after the April 29 scheduling; the outcome of that step will determine whether the case proceeds to trial.
Closing paragraph: Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder on February 23, remains held without bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, and will return to court on April 29 as the case moves to a preliminary hearing under Judge Sam Ohta, with the district attorney still weighing whether to seek the death penalty.
