On Wednesday, April 29th, Nick Reiner made an appearance in court in connection with the December 2025 murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. The 32-year-old was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, including the use of a knife. During his court appearance, Nick sat stone-faced with a goatee and shaved head, wearing a yellow smock and plastic restraints.
Nick agreed to a general time waiver, waiving his right to expedite the proceedings. As a result, a preliminary hearing was scheduled for September 15th. Hardly speaking during the brief hearing, Nick responded with a simple "yes" when the judge asked if he agreed with the hearing date.
In February, Nick pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office alleges that Nick fatally stabbed his parents inside their Brentwood home in the early morning hours of December 14th. Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead in their bedroom that afternoon. Nick was arrested "without incident" about six hours later near the campus of the University of Southern California and has remained in custody without bail since his arrest.
On April 24th, Nick's older brother Jake released a personal essay on Substack about losing his parents. The 34-year-old shared that he was at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, celebrating the life of one of his best friends who had died that October, when he received a call from his sister that his parents were dead. "The 45-minute Lyft ride from downtown to the west side was unendurable," he wrote. "My world, as I knew it, had collapsed. I was in a trance."
Jake wrote that he felt "robbed of so many things that day," adding that it "simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me." "Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time," he continued. "It's too devastating to comprehend. I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it's not a dream. This truly is my living nightmare."
