Feb. 23 (UPI) — Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty to murder charges in Los Angeles on Monday in the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner.
Nick Reiner, 32, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing of the couple in their Brentwood home in December.
His public defender, Kimberly Greene, entered his plea as he appeared behind a glass partition.
Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle scheduled the next hearing for April 29.
Nick Reiner faces a potential death penalty or a life sentence without parole if convicted. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors were going through a process to determine whether to seek the death penalty.
“We take the process in which we determine whether or not the death penalty should be sought extremely seriously, and it goes through a very rigorous process,” Hochman said outside the courthouse, CBS News reported. “We will be looking at all aggravating and mitigating circumstances.”
The case is on schedule, Hochman added.
“We have provided the bulk of discovery to defense counsel, and we are now waiting for the coroner’s report,” he said.
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their home on Dec. 14, and police arrested and charged their son the following day. He appeared in court on Dec. 17, but wasn’t required to enter a plea.
On Jan. 7, Nick Reiner’s attorney Alan Jackson quit the case, and the court assigned him a public defender.
Rob Reiner, 78, was a legendary actor and filmmaker, and he was the son of actor and comedian Karl Reiner, who died in 2020 at age 98. The couple have two other children, Romy Reiner and Jake Reiner, and Rob Reiner had an adopted daughter, actor Tracy Reiner, with his first wife, Penny Marshall.