Nick Reiner, who has been indicted by a grand jury on two charges of first degree murder, will not face the death penalty if convicted of killing his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner, and Michele Reiner.
“In deciding whether or not the DA’s office was going to seek the death penalty, we have gone through a rigorous review where we look at the aggravating factors as well as the mitigating factors,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a Tuesday press conference.
“Where we have spoken to the victims’ family, we have spoken to prosecutors, law enforcement, and have worked with the most senior people in the district attorney’s office,” Hochman continued, while standing at a podium outside Los Angeles Superior Court.
“After a careful and thorough review of all these factors, the district attorney’s office will not be seeking the death penalty in this case,” he added. “That means that the maximum sentence that Mr. [Nick] Reiner will be looking at is life without the possibility of parole.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney went on to explain that after the press briefing, there would be a court hearing on Tuesday that “concerns the unsealing of the grand jury transcripts.”
“Under California law, a grand jury would consider certain matters,” Hochman said. “The transcripts of the considerations and the evidence presented to a grand jury may be made public unless the court makes a finding based on a defense motion that the transcript should remain sealed.”
“We have filed a brief submission on this issue where we made it clear that after speaking to the victims’ next of kin — Jake and Romy Reiner — that they have expressed a strong desire for these transcripts to remain sealed,” he added.
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Hochman said that the late couple’s eldest son, 35-year-old Jake Reiner, and their only daughter, 28-year-old Romy Reiner, have “basically have said that the disclosure to the public and the media of the details and evidence of the killing of their parents will cause them additional trauma and harm.”
“And they have respectfully asked for the court to keep the transcript sealed,” Hochman added.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney noted that he has “deferred to the court the decision on this ruling.”
Hochman also said that the public should not expect the trial to occur before 2027.
“However, when the defense is ready to proceed, the government will be ready to proceed,” he added.
Nick Reiner was arrested on December 14, 2025, just hours after his parents were found stabbed to death inside their Brentwood home. Two days later, the late couple’s son was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Last month, the 33-year-old was indicted by a Los Angeles County grand jury on murder charges in the killings of Rob and Michele Reiner. The indictment included the allegation that he was lying in wait before attacking his parents.
Nick Reiner — who was reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia before the fatal stabbings and has a long history of drug addiction — has since pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.