Nick Reiner, the son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder of his parents.
The Hollywood couple were found stabbed to death at their home on Sunday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a press briefing on Tuesday evening.
Prosecutor Nathan Hochman confirmed the charges against Nick are set to be filed in the US, after he was filmed being arrested on Monday. The police force said he did not resist arrest or try to run away.
He is facing two counts of first-degree murder, ‘with a special circumstance of multiple murders’, the prosecutor said, which relates to the fact that there were two murders.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Hochman said the decision has not been made on whether the death penalty sentence will be pursued, but the office will take the ‘thoughts and desires of the family into consideration’.
He also told the press corps that the crime was believed to have been committed with a knife.
Nick will be brought to court after charges are filed and will enter his plea. First, he must receive ‘medical clearance’, which Hochman explained is standard procedure.
He was not medically cleared to appear in court for a Tuesday hearing, his lawyer Alan Jackson confirmed to CNN.
Criminal defence lawyer Jackson, who represented disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein in his 2022 LA rape trial, said his client has not been cleared to be transported to the courthouse, adding that it is ‘day to day’ on when he will appear. He is currently being held without bail.
Los Angeles police responded to a death investigation in Brentwood, according to LA Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell.
‘Upon entering the residence, they discovered the bodies of Mr and Mrs Reiner. Detectives from our robbery homicide division homicide special section immediately initiated a comprehensive investigation,’ he said during the press briefing on Tuesday.
‘This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones, but for our entire city,’ McDonnell said. ‘We extend our deepest condolences to all of those who are affected by this tragedy.’
Hochman said that prosecuting cases involving family members are ‘some of the most challenging and heart-wrenching cases’ his office faces ‘because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved’.
He went on to pay tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner, saying: ‘Their loss is beyond tragic. We will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice.’
Officials were asked whether family members provided information that led to the arrest, but said those details will be disclosed in court proceedings.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the investigation is not yet sure if the murders occurred on Saturday night or Sunday.
‘We are waiting on the coroner to be able to try and determine as best they can time of death,’ he said.
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