Nick Reiner has been indicted for the slayings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, in their Brentwood home last year, with prosecutors signaling an aggressive posture on the case as they look to trial.
Reiner has been held in custody without bail since pleading not guilty to the murders in February. He was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances relating to multiple homicides, allowing the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office to seek a sentence of life without parole upon conviction.
The new indictment adds another special circumstance allegation that Reiner committed the murders by means of lying in wait, meaning prosecutors believe the killings were premeditated. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the charges.
If convicted as charged, Reiner could also face a death sentence, though a decision hasn’t been made on whether to seek capital punishment.
“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement.
Prosecutors have yet to detail their case against Reiner. They’ve alleged that he stabbed his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother in the early morning of Dec. 14 in their Brentwood home. He allegedly fled the scene and checked in to the Pierside Santa Monica hotel hours later. Law enforcement arrested him later that night in South Los Angeles near a gas station.
The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, was returned on July 20. There won’t be a preliminary hearing where the court decides whether there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 15.
It remains unclear if Reiner will seek an insanity defense. His long history of drug use and related mental health disorders will almost certainly play a major role in the trial, sentencing and posture of prosecutors. It’s been widely reported that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia several years ago and that he was being treated for a serious psychiatric disorder at the time of his parents’ murder. Some reports have claimed that Reiner’s medication was adjusted or changed in the weeks leading up to the attack.
In June, Reiner filed a probate petition to access some of the $1.5 million placed in trust established by his late parents to fund his legal defense, which is currently being handled by the Los Angeles public defender’s office. The trust had “unambiguous” mandatory distributions: half the value when each beneficiary turned 30 and the remainder at age 35, per the filing.
