BRENTWOOD/SANTA MONICA—Nick Reiner, 32, the son of director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, 68, entered a plea of not guilty to their murders in court on Monday, February 23. Rob and Michele were found dead inside their Brentwood home in December 2025 after suffering multiple stab wounds. Nick is being held on no bail. He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing setting on April 29.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman spoke to a throng of reporters outside of the courthouse following the hearing. Hochman stated:
“We have provided the bulk of discovery to defense counsel, and we are no waiting for the coroner’s report when that is provided to the district attorney’s it will in turn be provided to defense counsel…This case is a death penalty eligible case. Along those lines we take the process in which we determine rather the death penalty should be sought be extremely seriously and it goes through very rigorous process.”
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records, Nick was arrested on December 14. A call was received after 3:40 p.m. on Sunday on the 200 block South Chadbourne Ave. for medical assistance for a man and woman, 78 and 68. The Los Angeles Police Department arrived on the scene and opened an investigation into the case.
Rob is known for his role in the 1970s sitcom, “All in the Family” where he portrayed ‘Meathead’ alongside Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton and Sally Struthers. The series ran from 1971-1979, and Rob won 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Rob made his directorial debut in 1984 with “This is Spinal Tap.”
His other film credits include: “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men,” “The American President,” “Ghosts of Mississippi” and most recently the director the 2025 flick, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.” He also appeared in the Martin Scorsese film “The Wolf of Wall Street” alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
On January 7, 2026, criminal defense attorney, Alan Jackson, the lawyer representing Nick Reiner, was granted a request to resign as Reiner’s attorney.
Jackson announced the news during a press conference he held, after a hearing that was originally intended to be his client’s arraignment. Jackson met Judge Theresa McGonigle, who was overseeing the proceedings, and he was replaced as his client’s defense lawyer by a public defender. Alan Jackson has not announced his reason for stepping down as Nick Reiner’s attorney. He announced that he could not reveal why he needed to step down, for both legal and ethical reasons.
During the same new conference, he also announced that he believed that under the laws of the state of California, his client was not guilty but did not say why.
Nick Reiner is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing setting on April 29. He has been charged with two charges of first-degree murder.
