Nick Reiner will not face death penalty in parents' murders, DA says; trial not expected before 2027

Nine months after Nick Reiner was arrested in the stabbing deaths of his parents — Hollywood director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner — Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Tuesday that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty if Reiner is convicted. The maximum punishment he now faces is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After a careful and thorough review of all these factors, the district attorney's office will not be seeking the death penalty in this case. That means that the maximum sentence that Mr. Reiner will be looking at is life without the possibility of parole.— Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney

Hochman made the announcement outside a downtown Los Angeles courthouse ahead of a brief pretrial hearing before LA County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta. He said the decision followed a rigorous review of aggravating and mitigating factors and direct conversations with the victims' family — specifically Nick's siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner.

We did speak with Nick Reiner's siblings (and) they made their views very clear. We took their views into consideration in ultimately deciding not to seek the death penalty.— Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney

Hochman did not disclose what punishment the family had sought, according to NBC News. Both Rob and Michele Reiner were known death penalty abolitionists, according to NBC News. Rob Reiner told the Los Angeles Times in 2010: 'I'm against capital punishment.'

This decision reflects our careful judgment about the most appropriate path to take in this case and does not diminish the severity of these crimes. Seeking capital punishment should be reserved for the most egregious instances, and we determined after a thorough review that the death penalty was not the appropriate resolution in this case.— Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney

Nick Reiner, who turned 33 on Monday, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait, along with a special allegation that he used a knife. He has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury indicted him last month.

Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14, 2025. Their daughter Romy, a neighbor, discovered her father's body after a massage therapist arrived for a scheduled appointment and got no answer at the door, according to NBC News. First responders found both parents dead inside. Nick Reiner was arrested later that evening after police spotted him near the University of Southern California, about 13 miles from the crime scene, according to NBC News.

Nick Reiner's public defender welcomed the DA's decision. Deputy LA County Public Defender Kimberly Greene, who took over the case after high-profile attorney Alan Jackson withdrew earlier this year, said her client '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. Our hearts remain with the family and all those impacted by these tragic deaths. We will continue to approach this case with care, compassion and a commitment to ensuring that Nick's circumstances are fully understood.— Kimberly Greene, LA County Deputy Public Defender

The Los Angeles Times reported that Reiner was prescribed medication for schizophrenia before the killings, though Greene has not raised an insanity defense. Reiner had collaborated with his father on the 2015 film 'Being Charlie,' which explored addiction and the relationship between a successful actor and his son — characters described by the LA Times as barely veiled versions of Rob and Nick. Nick was living in his parents' guesthouse at the time of the killings, according to the LA Times.

Tuesday's hearing also centered on whether grand jury transcripts from Reiner's indictment should be made public. Jake and Romy Reiner have asked for the documents to remain sealed, saying their release would cause additional trauma. Judge Ohta ordered the transcripts sealed for now but said media organizations may file a motion to unseal them. News organizations have until September 22 to file opposition, with both sides returning to court on October 7.

They basically have said that the disclosure to the public and the media of the details and evidence of the killing of their parents will cause them additional trauma and harm.— Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County District Attorney

Hochman said prosecutors do not believe unsealing the transcripts would prejudice either side of the case, but have deferred the decision to the court. He also noted that the defense is expected to file a motion to dismiss, though it has not yet done so, according to Fox News.

In court, Reiner appeared clean-shaven and attentive, a contrast to earlier hearings when he had fidgeted, according to NBC News. He waived his right to a speedy trial when asked by Judge Ohta. Hochman said he does not expect the trial to begin before 2027.

While California retains the death penalty on its books, Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions in 2019 and ordered the dismantling of the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. The last execution in the state took place in 2006. Hochman's predecessor, George Gascón, had barred prosecutors from seeking death verdicts entirely — a policy Hochman reversed when he took office in late 2024. Hochman has said he would reserve capital punishment for cases such as school shootings, domestic terrorist attacks, or the cold-blooded killing of a police officer, according to the LA Times.

The announcement came one day after Rob and Michele Reiner were honored in the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, where Rob Reiner also received a posthumous Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for his role in the FX series 'The Bear,' according to CNN.

Separately, Nick Reiner is pursuing a legal effort to access funds from a trust worth as much as $1.5 million to pay for his defense. The next hearing in that matter is set for October, according to CBS News.

Why it matters — The DA's decision caps the punishment Nick Reiner can receive at life without parole and signals that a trial over one of Hollywood's most prominent double-murder cases will not begin until at least 2027, while a parallel fight over sealed grand jury evidence could soon determine how much the public learns about what happened.

Reported by theguardian.com, nbcnews.com, cbsnews.com, pbs.org, foxnews.com, abcnews.com, thehill.com, nytimes.com, cnn.com, latimes.com