By Steve Gorman and Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, Jan 7 (Reuters) – The younger son of slain Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner was due in court on Wednesday to enter a plea to murder charges stemming from the fatal stabbing of his parents, in one of the most shocking celebrity homicide cases in Los Angeles history.
An initial court appearance by Nick Reiner, 32, was abruptly cut short on December 17 when the judge postponed the arraignment for three weeks at the request of the defense. He is expected to plead not guilty on Wednesday.
Reiner is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the fatal knife attack on his parents — actor-director Rob Reiner, 78, and photographer-producer Michele Reiner, 70 — whose bodies were found on December 14 inside their west Los Angeles mansion. Prosecutors have said the pair were killed early that morning.
Rob Reiner had a prolific showbiz career that ranged from co-starring in the 1970s hit television comedy “All in the Family” to directing the beloved 1989 film “When Harry Met Sally…” and was also a prominent Democratic Party activist and donor.
Authorities have disclosed few details about the circumstances of the crime and offered no explanation for what may have precipitated the killings. Autopsies found both victims died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”
If convicted, Nick Reiner would face life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death sentence.
Capital punishment remains on the books in California, but nobody has been put to death in the state since 2006, and Governor Gavin Newsom imposed an indefinite moratorium on executions in 2019.
QUARREL PRECEDED KILLING
The son was widely reported to have quarreled with his parents while the three were attending a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien the night before the couple were found slain.
Nick Reiner, who has publicly acknowledged a years-long struggle with drug addiction and periods of homelessness, had lived in a guest house on his parents’ property. He was arrested near a downtown Los Angeles park several hours after their bodies were discovered.
The killings stirred an outpouring of dismay from Hollywood luminaries who Rob Reiner had worked with for decades as an actor, director and screenwriter, as well as within Democratic Party circles, where he was active in various political causes.
The killing occurred hours before a planned evening gathering with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, according to the former first lady.
Nick Reiner’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, did not specify in court last month the reasons for pausing his client’s initial hearing. To reporters afterward, he referred only to “very complex and serious issues” that he said “need to be thoroughly but very carefully dealt with and examined.”
‘MEATHEAD’ TO DIRECTOR OF BELOVED FILMS
Nick Reiner’s battles with substance abuse and recurring stints in and out of rehabilitation programs since the age of 15 was the inspiration for the 2015 movie drama “Being Charlie,” in which the father and son collaborated as director and co-writer.
He is the younger of two sons and the second of three children by his parents, who married in 1989.
As an actor, Rob Reiner was best remembered for his role on “All in the Family” as Mike “Meathead” Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor.
Reiner went on to a prolific Hollywood career as a filmmaker, directing such popular movies as “This Is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride,” “Stand by Me,” “A Few Good Men,” “Misery” and “The American President.”
His final film, a sequel to the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap,” was released in September, 41 years after the original.
His wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book “Trump: The Art of the Deal.” She and Rob Reiner met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally…” and wed in 1989.
(Writing and reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; editing by Scott Malone and Bill Berkrot)
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