Nick Reiner was allegedly lying in wait before parents Rob and Michele Reiner were killed: 'A PROFOUND BETRAYAL'
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Nick Reiner has been indicted by a grand jury for the slayings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner last December.
Reiner was arrested hours after his parents’ bodies were discovered, and has been held in custody without bail since pleading not guilty to the murders in February.
He was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday to answer to the new charges, which will replace the original murder case filed in 2025, KNBC reported.
Indictment unsealed
The 32-year-old was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances relating to multiple homicides, allowing the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office to seek a sentence of life without parole upon conviction.
The grand jury, who had been meeting in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, which was unsealed Wednesday.
It revealed the special circumstance allegations: That Reiner committed the stabbing murders by means of lying in wait before attacking his parents in the early morning of Dec. 14, 2025 in their Brentwood, Calif., home — meaning prosecutors believe the killings were premeditated.
The other special circumstances allegation is he personally used a deadly weapon.
Reiner pleaded not guilty to the new charges.
Special circumstances allegations can increase penalties in the sentencing phase of a trial, including the possibility of life without parole.
A finding that he was lying in wait along with a murder conviction would make Reiner eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors said they haven’t decided if they are seeking it.
‘One step closer’
“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement, per KNBC.
“The indictment unsealed today also adds a special circumstance allegation that the defendant committed the murders by means of lying in wait,” he continued. “We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case, it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”
Reiner’s appointed defence attorney, L.A. deputy public defender Kimberly Greene, did not comment following the arraignment, according to the outlet.
The indictment speeds up the process, allowing prosecutors to skip the preliminary hearing where evidence is publicly aired.
Reiner is scheduled to return for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 15, when the judge will likely set dates for a trial.
Details of the case hush-hush
Prosecutors have yet to detail their case against Reiner, but they’ve alleged that Reiner stabbed his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother, fled the scene, and checked in to the Pierside Santa Monica hotel hours later. He was arrested later that night near a gas station in South Los Angeles.
It remains unclear if Reiner will seek an insanity defence, though it is believed his history of drug use and related mental health disorders will play a major role in the trial and sentencing.
It’s been widely reported that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago and was being treated for a serious psychiatric disorder at the time of his parents’ murder. There were reports that the medication Reiner was taking in the weeks leading up to the killings had made him “erratic and dangerous.”
In June, Reiner filed a lawsuit against his family’s trust, demanding the release of $1.5 million that was due to him on his 30th birthday, so he could defend himself in court.
A hearing on the trust lawsuit is set for Aug. 17.