Nick Reiner avoids death penalty over his parents' killings but still
faces life in prison
[September 16, 2026]
By ANDREW DALTON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner 's son will not face
the death penalty on charges he fatally stabbed his parents after lying
in wait at their home in Los Angeles late last year, prosecutors said
Tuesday.
If convicted, the maximum sentence 33-year-old Nick Reiner could get is
life without the possibility of parole, Los Angeles County District
Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference. Before reaching its
decision, Hochman said his office did a thorough review, including
speaking to Rob and Michele Singer Reiner’s families and evaluating
mitigating factors in Nick Reiner’s favor.
Nick Reiner, who briefly appeared at a court hearing Tuesday morning,
has twice pleaded not guilty. The death penalty had been on the table
because of the lying-in-wait allegation, the fact that multiple people
were killed, and the use of a knife, which is considered a dangerous
weapon. However, it's been two decades since California's last
execution, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on the
practice in 2019.
Nick Reiner's public defender highlights his mental illness
Reiner's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene, said
prosecutors made the right decision.
“Nick has a serious mental illness and a long history of struggling with
self-medication. 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,” Greene said
in a statement. “Nothing can undo the profound loss experienced by the
Reiner family and those who loved them. Our hearts remain with the
family.”
Nick Reiner was charged with first-degree murder on Dec. 16, two days
after the stunning killings. Reiner’s former defense attorney, Alan
Jackson, adamantly insisted that “pursuant to the laws of California,
Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.”
Jackson had to withdraw for undisclosed reasons that he said were beyond
his and the client’s control, and a public defender took over for him.
A grand jury indicted Reiner in July. The judge in the case was deciding
whether to make public the transcripts of those secret grand jury
proceedings, a move that would likely reveal many key details about the
killings.
Hochman said his office will not oppose the transcripts' release, but
Nick Reiner's siblings Jake and Romi Reiner were adamantly opposed,
saying it would add to their trauma and harm.
At Tuesday's hearing, Judge Sam Ohta said he will hear arguments on the
issue next month.
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Nick Reiner appears during his arraignment on murder charges for the
deaths of his parents, Feb. 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Chris
Torres/Pool Photo via AP, file)
 Nick Reiner wants access to his
trust fund
Reiner has asked a different judge to force the release of money
from a trust his parents set up for him when he was a child, so that
he can rehire Jackson, a high-profile defense attorney whose clients
have included Kevin Spacey and Karen Read.
The trustees overseeing the funds argue Reiner
shouldn't get them, but his lawyers argue that he is still innocent
under the law and that the money would legally be his regardless of
his parents' deaths. Reiner is awaiting a ruling on the money.
Jackson has said he wants to return to the case.
Hochman said he does not expect a trial until next year.
Hours earlier, Rob Reiner was honored at the Emmys
Rob Reiner received an emotional tribute at the Emmy Awards on
Monday night. He won a posthumous Emmy for best guest actor in a
comedy series for his role on “The Bear,” and was honored by his
friend and “Bear” co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.
“He was generous, kind and funny as hell, and a friend to all,”
Curtis said. “And we all miss Rob and Michele and all those we lost
this year.”
Nick Reiner was the second of Rob and Michele Reiner's three
children. He and his father co-wrote the script for the 2015 film
“Being Charlie,” which was partly based on the son’s teenage
struggles with addiction and homelessness.
Rob Reiner began as an actor, starring in the TV sitcom “All in the
Family” as Michael “Meathead” Stivic, the liberal son-in-law to a
much more conservative and bigoted Archie Bunker, played by Carroll
O’Connor. Reiner won two Emmy Awards for the role.
He became a prolific director whose work included some of the most
memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His
credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good
Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally…” during the production of which he
met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were
married for 36 years.
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