Nick Reiner Indicted for Lying in Wait Murder

Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty Wednesday after a grand jury indictment charged him with two counts of murder in the deaths of his parents inside their Brentwood home.

• 2 special circumstance allegations: multiple murders and murder by lying in wait.
• A third allegation states he personally used a knife as the deadly weapon.
• Rob Reiner is 78; Michele Reiner is 70. The killings occurred December 14, 2025.
• Reiner has been held in custody since his arrest and was disciplined for allegedly hostile conduct toward jail staff.

Why it matters: Special circumstances elevate potential punishment to death or life without parole. Prosecutors have not yet committed to seeking capital punishment.

• Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called it "a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing."

How 42 sources split on this story

What’s next: A pretrial hearing is scheduled for September 15.

• Prosecutors will decide separately whether to pursue the death penalty.
• Will prosecutors pursue the death penalty?
• What evidence did the grand jury weigh to support the lying-in-wait allegation?