Prosecutors Will Not Seek Death Penalty for Nick Reiner

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced Tuesday that his office will not pursue the death penalty against Nick Reiner, accused of fatally stabbing his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, in their Brentwood home in December 2025. The decision followed a rigorous review of aggravating and mitigating factors, including input from the victims’ family, particularly Nick’s siblings Jake and Romy Reiner, whose views were considered in the determination.

Reiner, 33, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder under special circumstances, which included multiple killings, lying in wait, and use of a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole. No trial date has been set, but Hochman anticipates proceedings may begin next year. Reiner has a documented history of serious mental illness, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, and was under a yearlong mental health conservatorship in 2020. He has also sought access to a $1.6 million family trust fund to hire private counsel, opposed by a financial steward citing California’s slayer statute, which bars inheritance from those who feloniously kill.

A protective order prevents release of discovery materials. Jake Reiner recalled in an ABC interview learning of his parents’ deaths when his sister Romy called him in distress on Dec. 14, 2025, saying, “I’ll never understand why this happened.” Reiner remains incarcerated as the case proceeds.