Nick Reiner uttered a few words in court during his first appearance after being charged with the murders of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner.
During the court appearance on Wednesday, December 17, Nick, 32, was addressed by the judge in Los Angeles Superior Court after his attorney, Alan Jackson, chose not to enter a plea for him. The judge asked Nick if he was certain he wanted to waive his right to a fast arraignment. “Yes, your honor,” Nick replied, per People. The arraignment was pushed back to January 7, 2026.
Jackson addressed reporters gathered outside the courtroom for the hearing after telling the court it was “too early” to enter a plea.
“This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family,” the lawyer said. “We all recognized that our hearts go out to the entire Reiner family. There are very, very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case. Those need to be thoroughly, but very carefully dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed.”
“We asked that [muffled] process you allow the system to move forward in the way that it was designed to move forward, not with a rushed judgment, not with jumping to conclusions, but with restraint and with dignity, and with the respect that this system and this process deserves, and that the family deserves,” Jackson’s statement continued. “So with that we are set for January 7 for an arraignment. That’s the next court date, and that’s all I have to say at this point. There may be more at some other point, but today we are going to rest on where we stand procedurally, which is this is a continuance of arraignment. Nothing happened today, substantively. We’ll be back for an arrangement in the same department on January 7. We’ll see you then.”
Rob and Michele, aged 78 and 70, respectively, were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home with apparent stab wounds on Sunday, December 14. Nick was arrested on Monday, December 15, near the University of Southern California campus in University Park, Los Angeles.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced in a press conference on Tuesday, December 16, that Nick was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Nick is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.
Nick wore a suicide prevention vest during his first court appearance on Wednesday, according to a courtroom sketch obtained by Us Weekly.
Following the court appearance, Nick’s siblings Jake, 34, and Romy, 28, shared their heartbreak over their parents’ deaths in a joint statement. (Rob also adopted daughter Tracy, 61, during his marriage to late ex-wife Penny Marshall.)
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends. We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,” Romy and Jake told TMZ on Wednesday. “We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
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