What we know about the fatal stabbings of Rob and Michele Reiner and the case against their son

By Aditi Sangal, Taylor Romine, Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — Two days after Hollywood director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their home, their grown son, Nick Reiner, was charged with murder in the deaths of his parents.

Many aspects of the case are still uncertain as authorities keep details close in an active investigation. But the deaths of the two Hollywood fixtures have upended the entertainment industry as colleagues, friends and fans pay tribute to their legacy.

Reiner appeared Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom, where he did not enter a plea and a judge ordered him held without bail pending an arraignment scheduled for January 7.

Here’s what we know about the case against Nick Reiner and what comes next.

Son faces first-degree murder charges

Prosecutors charged Reiner, 32, with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of his parents.

The charges include a special allegation of using a knife, and the case rises to a “special circumstance first-degree murder case” as there were multiple murders, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Tuesday at a news conference. Reiner will go through medical screening, a standard procedure, Hochman said.

Conviction on the charges carries a penalty of life in prison without parole or the death penalty, Hochman said. His office hasn’t decided whether it would seek the death penalty and would take the “thoughts and desires of the family into consideration,” he said. Executions in California have essentially been halted since 2006, with a moratorium on the death penalty since 2019.

Cases that involve family members are among “the most challenging and the most heart-wrenching” due to the “intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved,” Hochman said.

More information about the day of the incident

Officials allege Nick Reiner fatally stabbed his parents in the “early morning hours of December 14” in their Brentwood home before fleeing, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office.

When the Reiners’ daughter, Romy – who lives across the street from her parents – checked on them around 3 p.m. Sunday, she discovered their bodies, a source said. She left the house, found a friend who was staying with her and told her to call 911, the source said.

The bodies were found in the master bedroom, Dominic Choi, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said Tuesday at a meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said the Reiners were fatally stabbed, and a report released from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office cited the cause of death as being from “multiple sharp force injuries.”

Detectives spoke with family members and learned Nick Reiner had been staying at a guest house on his parents’ property. He was not present when they arrived. Authorities also learned of his history with drug addiction, as well as an argument between him and his parents the prior night, the source said.

Reiner was arrested later that evening in the Exposition Park area near the University of Southern California campus, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said, adding Reiner didn’t resist.

The Reiners’ other son, Jake Reiner, released a statement Wednesday with his sister Romy asking for privacy.

“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” the statement read.

The siblings expressed gratitude for the messages of support from family, friends and strangers.

“We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”

Nick Reiner’s mental health could come up in court

Reiner’s mental health could come up in court hearings in the case, Hochman said. After he is arraigned, if there is evidence of mental illness, it will be “presented in court and in whatever detail the defense seeks to do that,” he said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell declined to say whether Reiner was under the influence at the time of his arrest. Reiner has spoken about his past struggles with drug addiction, including stints in rehab and, at times, being homeless.

In 2015, he co-wrote the film, “Being Charlie,” loosely inspired by his experiences with addiction and directed by his father. During its promotional tour, Reiner often appeared alongside his father to discuss how his personal experiences shaped the story.

During a joint appearance on AOL’s speaker series, “Build,” Rob Reiner called the project “the most personal thing I’ve ever done.”

“You don’t set out to have a cathartic experience or be therapeutic in some way,” the elder Reiner said, detailing how working on the film pushed him and his son to confront and better understand each other’s perspectives.

“The fact that we were dealing with things that Nick had gone through … it forced me to have to see more clearly and understand more deeply what Nick had gone through, and I think it forced him to see things that I had experienced during this process,” he said.

Nick Reiner had been doing well, his father said in a September NPR interview.

“You know, he’s been great. He hasn’t been doing drugs for over six years. I mean, he’s in a really good place, much better place,” Rob Reiner said.

CNN’s Stephanie Elam, Andy Rose, Norma Galeana, Josh Campbell, John Miller, Cindy Von Quednow, Elise Hammond and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.

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