Rob Reiner’s son Nick avoids death penalty as prosecutors seek life without parole
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Prosecutors have ruled out seeking the death penalty against Nick Reiner, who is accused of fatally stabbing his parents, Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer-producer Michele Singer Reiner, at their Los Angeles home in December.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the decision took into account the views of the couple’s two surviving children and unspecified mitigating factors.
If convicted, Nick now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nick Reiner faces life imprisonment if convicted
Hochman said prosecutors spoke with Nick’s siblings, Jake Reiner and Romy Reiner, before deciding against seeking capital punishment.
“They made their views very clear,” Hochman told reporters outside a downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
In a statement, the DA said the decision reflected the office’s “careful judgment about the most appropriate path to take in this case” and did not diminish the severity of the crimes.
The announcement came shortly before Nick, appeared in court for a hearing where prosecutors formally informed the presiding judge that they would not seek the death penalty.
Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, sat beside his lawyer, shackled to his seat and dressed in brown jail clothing.
He answered “yes” in a soft voice to several procedural questions from Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta, while Hochman said "a trial was unlikely to begin before next year."
Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death, with their bodies reportedly discovered by their daughter Romy on December 14.
The LA County medical examiner said the couple died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”
Prosecutors allege that Nick, the couple’s youngest son, fatally stabbed his father and mother inside a bedroom before fleeing, and he was arrested in Los Angeles the same day.
Nick has acknowledged a years-long struggle with substance abuse and mental health issues.
He was widely reported to have quarrelled with his parents while the three attended a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien the night before the killings.
Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner case moves toward trial
Nick was formally indicted by a grand jury earlier this month, allowing prosecutors to bring the case to trial without having to convince a judge that sufficient evidence existed to establish probable cause.
Hochman also said Nick’s siblings have urged the court to keep the grand jury transcripts sealed to prevent public disclosure of details surrounding their parents’ killings that would “cause them additional trauma.”
Judge Ohta said his final decision on whether to unseal the transcripts would await further proceedings on any motion from news media seeking to make the records public.
The next hearing, including pleadings concerning the grand jury transcripts, is scheduled for October 7.
Rob, a prominent Democratic Party activist and donor, became famous as a co-star of the 1970s television comedy 'All in the Family' before directing films including 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'This Is Spinal Tap' and 'The Princess Bride.'
Hollywood paid tribute to the deceased couple at Monday night’s Emmy Awards. Actor Jamie Lee Curtis called Rob Reiner “generous and kind and funny as hell” and noted his posthumous Emmy win a week earlier for his guest comedic appearance as a restaurant consultant on 'The Bear.'
The win set a new Emmy record for the longest gap between acting awards, with his previous Emmy coming 48 years earlier for his role as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on 'All in the Family.'
His father, television comedy pioneer Carl Reiner, previously held the record with Emmy wins 37 years apart.
