Nick Reiner avoids death penalty over his parents' killings but still faces life in prison

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. Special circumstances in the case put the death penalty on the table, including the lying-in-wait allegation; the fact that multiple people were killed; and that a dangerous weapon — a knife — was used. 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.

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.