Nick Reiner — Rob & Michele Reiner killings

Nick Reiner, 32, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, the director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, at the family home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on December 14, 2025. He has pleaded not guilty.

A grand jury indicted him on July 20, 2026. The indictment, unsealed on August 13, carries a "lying in wait" special circumstance, which under California law makes the case eligible for the death penalty. On September 15, at a pretrial hearing, District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that prosecutors will not seek death. The decision came after consulting Reiner's siblings, Jake and Romy. The maximum sentence if convicted is now life without parole.

A separate fight is under way in probate court. Reiner is seeking more than $500,000 he says he is owed from a family trust, to pay for his defense. The trust's financial steward argues that California's "slayer statute" bars a person from inheriting from someone they intentionally killed, while acknowledging that Reiner is innocent until proven guilty and would receive the money if acquitted. That hearing was continued to October. The grand jury transcripts remain sealed; media organisations can begin challenging the seal on September 23.

The court has said the trial will not begin in 2026. The case is at the pretrial stage, no verdict has been returned, and Reiner is presumed innocent.