The Nick Reiner murder case is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, where the 32-year-old son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and philanthropist Michele Singer Reiner has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the December 14, 2025, stabbing deaths of both his parents inside their Brentwood home. He is jailed without bail at Twin Towers Correctional Facility, prosecutors have charged a multiple-murder special circumstance and a deadly-weapon allegation, and a preliminary hearing is set for September 15, 2026.1LA County District Attorney. Son Charged Fatally Stabbing Parents Rob and Michele Reiner Their Brentwood Home
What Happened in Brentwood
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were fatally stabbed in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 14, 2025, in the master bedroom of their home on South Chadbourne Avenue. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined both died from multiple sharp force injuries.2BBC News. Nick Reiner Pleads Not Guilty to Parents’ Murder Their daughter found them that afternoon, and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to a medical aid call at approximately 3:38 p.m.3ABC7. Rob Reiner’s Son Nick Reiner in Custody
Nick Reiner was not at the house when police arrived. Around 9:15 p.m., officers from the LAPD Gang and Narcotics Division and a U.S. Marshals task force took him into custody near Exposition Boulevard and Vermont Avenue in University Park, roughly 15 miles from the scene.4NBC News. Nick Reiner Appears in L.A. Court Charged With Murder in Deaths of Parents He was booked into county jail around 5:00 a.m. the next morning.3ABC7. Rob Reiner’s Son Nick Reiner in Custody
The night before, Rob and Michele had brought Nick with them to a holiday party at Conan O’Brien’s home. Sources told reporters the parents had done so out of concern for him and a desire to keep an eye on him.5Rolling Stone. Rob Reiner Son Nick Holiday Party Alleged Murder Guests described Nick as acting erratically, staring at people and asking whether they were famous, before he and Rob got into what witnesses called a very loud argument audible to others at the party. Rob and Michele left afterward. The killings came hours later.6People. Rob Reiner Son Got in a Big Fight at Conan O’Brien Party Before Murders
The Charges and What They Mean
On December 16, 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, under DA Nathan Hochman, filed two counts of first-degree murder along with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and a special allegation that Reiner personally used a knife as a dangerous and deadly weapon.1LA County District Attorney. Son Charged Fatally Stabbing Parents Rob and Michele Reiner Their Brentwood Home The special circumstance is what makes a conviction punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole or by death under California law.
Bail was initially set at $4 million by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, then revoked altogether. Reiner has been held without bail since.7Deadline. Rob Reiner Death Son Bail Revoked Life Sentence
Where the Case Stands
Reiner’s arraignment was delayed more than two months. At a December 17, 2025, appearance, he was brought into court in a suicide prevention smock and no plea was entered.8ABC7. Rob Reiner Michele Singer Children Jake Romy Statement The hearing was pushed to January 7, 2026, in part because he had not been medically cleared.4NBC News. Nick Reiner Appears in L.A. Court Charged With Murder in Deaths of Parents At that January hearing his private attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew, and the plea was postponed again.9The Guardian. Nick Reiner Parents Killings Court
Reiner was finally arraigned on February 23, 2026, before Judge Sam Ohta. Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Reiner spoke only to confirm he understood his right to a speedy preliminary hearing and to waive it.10Variety. Nick Reiner Not Guilty Arraignment Rob Reiner11Hollywood Reporter. Nick Reiner Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Murdering Parents At an April 29, 2026, hearing, the case was continued to September 15, 2026, for a preliminary hearing. Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Chung told the court prosecutors still owed the defense nearly two terabytes of discovery, and the full autopsy reports remained incomplete under a court-ordered security hold initiated by the LAPD.12Los Angeles Times. Nick Reiner Court Hearing Murder Charges
The Death Penalty Question
Because the multiple-murder special circumstance makes the case capital-eligible, prosecutors must decide whether to seek death. Hochman has said no decision has been made. At a December 16 press conference, he told reporters, “No decision at this point has been made with respect to the death penalty,” and said the choice would turn on the evidence and on input from the victims’ family.13The Intercept. Nick Reiner Death Penalty Nathan Hochman LA After the arraignment, Hochman said his office would review all aggravating and mitigating circumstances and had invited the defense to present arguments in writing and in person before any decision.14Washington Post. Nick Reiner Death Penalty Victims That process was still open as of mid-2026.15ABC7. Nick Reiner Return Court High-Profile Los Angeles Murder Cases
Mental Health and the Medication Change
Reiner’s psychiatric history is likely to be the center of his defense. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder around 2020 and placed under a yearlong Lanterman-Petris-Short conservatorship that same year, a California arrangement reserved for adults deemed gravely disabled by a mental health disorder, which allows a guardian to make medical and medication decisions on the patient’s behalf. Attorney Steven Baer served as the court-appointed conservator. The conservatorship expired in 2021.16New York Times. Nick Reiner Conservatorship Schizophrenia17Fox LA. Nick Reiner Mental Health Conservatorship Schizophrenia
About a month before the killings, doctors switched his psychiatric medication. The specific reason has not been publicly disclosed. Sources described him as entering a spiral after the change, becoming agitated, erratic, and increasingly dangerous.18TMZ. Nick Reiner Homicidal After Schizoaffective Meds Changed Friends told TMZ that Michele had confided for months that she and Rob were at their wits’ end over Nick’s mental illness and alleged substance abuse, saying they had tried everything.19TMZ. Rob Reiner Son Nick Argument Conan O’Brien Christmas Party
No formal insanity plea has been entered, but reporting indicates the defense is building toward one. Under California law, a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity defense requires showing that at the time of the act the defendant did not understand its nature and quality. TMZ reported the defense intends to argue that the medication switch rendered Reiner legally insane and that doctors failed to place him under a psychiatric hold while adjusting his treatment.18TMZ. Nick Reiner Homicidal After Schizoaffective Meds Changed Legal analysts have said Reiner’s competence to stand trial could also become an issue.20ABC7 New York. Nick Reiner Arraigned Killing Parents Rob Michele Singer
Reiner is housed in a mental health unit at Twin Towers. He was initially placed on suicide watch and later moved to a high-observation unit, and he has reportedly expressed a belief that the charges are part of a conspiracy against him.17Fox LA. Nick Reiner Mental Health Conservatorship Schizophrenia21Fox News. Nick Reiner Believes He’s Victim of Conspiracy While in Jail
Why He Lost His Private Attorney
Alan Jackson, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney, initially took the case and told reporters at the December 17 hearing, “Pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.”22ABC News. Nick Reiner Expected Enter Plea Stabbing Deaths Parents Jackson withdrew on January 7, 2026, citing circumstances beyond his control.20ABC7 New York. Nick Reiner Arraigned Killing Parents Rob Michele Singer
A probate petition Reiner’s lawyers filed on June 8, 2026, said the reason was that his siblings Jake and Romy Reiner had initially agreed to serve as third-party payors for Jackson’s fees and then did not fund the representation. Jackson’s declaration stated the siblings “participated in communications concerning the representation and agreed verbally to act as third-party payors.”23People. Nick Reiner Claims His Siblings Reversed Their Commitment to Fund His Legal Defense Neither sibling has publicly responded. Since the February arraignment, Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene has represented him, and the defense has told the court that intensive investigation will prove Reiner is not guilty.24Fox 5 Atlanta. Nick Reiner’s Preliminary Hearing Murder Parents Pushed September
Reiner is now fighting in probate court to unlock money from a trust his parents set up for him in 1993. The Nick Reiner Children’s Trust was structured to pay out half at age 30 and the remainder at 35. Reiner turned 30 in September 2023, but trustee Paul R. Kanin has withheld the distribution, which Reiner’s attorneys describe as a shifting series of excuses that have included concerns about his competence to manage the funds.25Deadline. Nick Reiner Trust Fund Murder Defense Withhold Funds The petition seeks at least $1.5 million to re-engage Jackson, who said in a court declaration that his firm is ready, willing, and able to resume representation if funding becomes available.26Fox LA. Nick Reiner Trust Fund Lawsuit Parents Murder Defense A hearing on the trust petition was set for August 17, 2026, before Judge Ruben Garcia.
The Family
Jake and Romy Reiner issued a statement through a family spokesperson on December 17, 2025. “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience,” they wrote. “They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.” They asked for speculation to be tempered with compassion.27ABC News. Rob Reiner’s Children Speak After Nick Reiner’s Arrest In April 2026, Jake Reiner described the ordeal publicly as a living nightmare.28Fox LA. Jake Reiner Statement Rob Michele Reiner Murder A memorial service was announced for a later date.29CBS News. Rob Reiner Michele Children Statement Memorial Plans
What Comes Next
The preliminary hearing on September 15, 2026, will test whether prosecutors have enough evidence to send the case to trial. Before that, the August 17 probate hearing may determine whether Reiner can afford to bring Jackson back or whether the public defender will carry the case forward. The death penalty decision from Hochman’s office is still pending, and the question of Reiner’s mental state, both at the time of the killings and now, is positioned to shape everything that follows.