Rob Reiner’s son makes first court appearance after parents’ murders

The young son of Hollywood film producer Rob Reiner made his first court appearance on Wednesday, charged with the double stabbing death of his parents, but the trial was adjourned for three weeks and he did not enter a plea, according to Reuters news agency.

Nick Reiner, 32, was ordered to return to Los Angeles County Superior Court for his trial on January 7. No explanation was given in court for the delay in the hearing.

Bearded, bespectacled and wearing a blue bulletproof vest, he appeared in court three days after his arrest and a day after being charged in one of the most dramatic murder cases in the city’s history.

He is accused of fatally stabbing his parents, actor-director Rob Reiner, 78, and cameraman Michele Reiner, 70, early Sunday morning at the couple’s home in the affluent west LA neighborhood of Brentwood, then fleeing the scene.

The couple’s bodies were found on Sunday afternoon. Nick Reiner, who has publicly acknowledged his years-long struggle with drug addiction, was arrested that night near a downtown Los Angeles park near the University of Southern California.

Sitting a little behind a glass partition in the courtroom, the defendant spoke little during his few minutes in court, saying only, “Yes, your honor,” in a calm, clear voice when the judge asked if he agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial.

Speaking briefly to reporters outside court afterward, defense attorney Alan Jackson did not comment further, saying the case had been suspended.

“Today I will rest where I stand in order, that is, this was a continuation of the trial. Nothing happened today, really,” he said.

“This is a terrible tragedy for the Reiner family,” Jackson added. “There are very, very complicated and serious issues in this case.

Authorities said Nick Reiner was taken into custody without incident Sunday night and booked into the downtown jail on suspicion of murder, where he remains in custody. According to various media reports, he lived in a guest house on his parents’ property.

If convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

Capital punishment remains on the books in California, but no one has been executed in the state since 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom imposed an indefinite moratorium on executions in 2019.