Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner made his first court appearance Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents.
Nick, 32, made a brief appearance in court but did not enter a plea. His arraignment was continued until Jan. 7.
His lawyer, Alan Jackson, told the court it was “too early” to enter a plea and that he had already agreed with the prosecution to delay the arraignment until January.
“This is a devastating tragedy that has befallen the Reiner family. We can all recognize that. Our hearts go out to the entire Reiner family,” Jackson told reporters outside the courthouse in Los Angeles.
Jackson said that there are “very complex and serious issues that are associated with this case.”
“Things need to be very thoroughly, but very carefully, dealt with and examined and looked at and analyzed,” Jackson said.
Romy Reiner and Jake Reiner released a statement on Wednesday, calling the loss of their parents “horrific and devastating.”
“Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,” Romy and Jake Reiner said. “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.”
“We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,” they added. “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.”
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Nick was charged Tuesday with killing his father, the 78-year-old director Rob Reiner, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a news conference.
Reiner also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife, Hochman said.
These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. No decision about the death penalty has been made as of yet, Hochman added.
“Charges are not evidence,” Hochman said at the news conference on Tuesday. “Evidence is something we will be presenting in a court of law to meet the standard of proof we meet at every criminal case, which is beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“Prosecuting these cases involving family members are some of the most challenging and most heart-wrenching cases that this office faces because of the intimate and often brutal nature of the crimes involved,” Hochman said.
“Rob Reiner was a brilliant actor and director, and iconic force in our entertainment industry for decades. His wife, Michele Singer Reiner, was an equally iconic photographer and producer. Their loss is beyond tragic.”
Reiner and his wife were found fatally stabbed Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles. On Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Nick and booked him on suspicion of killing his parents.
Online jail records indicate he is being held at Parker Center Jail in downtown Los Angeles with no bail.
Nick Reiner had been scheduled to make an initial court appearance earlier Tuesday, but his lawyer said he was not brought from the jail to the courthouse for medical reasons and the appearance was postponed.
Reiner and Singer’s family confirmed their deaths in a statement, writing, “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner.
“We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
The famous director and Nick had explored their difficult father-son relationship and Nick’s struggles with drugs in a semi-autobiographical 2016 film, Being Charlie. Nick has spoken publicly of his struggles with addiction. By 18, he had reportedly cycled in and out of treatment facilities with bouts of homelessness and relapses in between.
—with files from The Associated Press
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