Nick Reiner on Monday pleaded not guilty in the deaths of his parents, Rob and Michelle, who were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14.
Mr. Reiner, 32, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, argued once, and agreed to a future court date of April 29.
Reiner has been charged with two counts of murder and, if convicted, could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
He will be represented by Assistant Public Defender Kimberly Green, who took over the case after the original attorney, Alan Jackson, resigned last month.
There was no mention of Reiner’s mental state during the brief hearing. Reiner wore a brown jumpsuit and had a shaved head.
Outside court, District Attorney Nathan Hockman said his office was still deciding whether to seek the death penalty. Hochman, who overturned his predecessor’s suspension of the death penalty, said veteran prosecutors with experience with the death penalty would be involved in the decision.
Hochman said he expected the preliminary hearing would likely be delayed due to the amount of evidence in the case.
Judge Sam Ohta will now handle the case.
Reiner is being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. He was arrested around 9:15pm on December 14, hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered by his sister.
“Rob Reiner was one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation,” Hochman said at the time of the indictment, calling their deaths “shocking and tragic.” “We owe it to their memory to seek justice and accountability for the lives taken.”
Nick Reiner has opened up about his long struggle with drug addiction. He told an interviewer that he attended 18 rehab facilities between the ages of 15 and 19. In an interview on Anna David’s Recovery Podcast, he said he once threw a rock through a window to prove he needed medication.
“I was insane,” he said. “And I said, ‘I’m insane.'” And they said, “No, you’re not.” I thought, ‘Well, they don’t believe me.’ Let’s demonstrate what crazy is. ”
