Nick Reiner is steadfast in maintaining his innocence. On February 23rd, during his arraignment in Los Angeles, the 32-year-old entered a plea of not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders, in connection with the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, in December. Nick appeared in court cleanly shaved, handcuffed, and wearing a brown jail smock, as reported by MS Now journalists who were present in the courtroom. He was represented by public defender Kimberly Greene, who replaced Alan Jackson after he stepped down last month.
A preliminary hearing has been set for April 29th, and Nick's legal team has stated that they will be focused on the trial going forward. "We won't be issuing any comment on today's arraignment," the L.A. County Public Defender's media team shared in a statement to E! News on February 23rd, "or on Mr. Reiner's overall case for the foreseeable future."
The writer of Being Charlie's plea comes a month after his former attorney Jackson—who has previously represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey—withdrew from the case, telling reporters outside the courtroom that he felt he had "no choice" in the matter, according to the New York Times. "Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder," he said at the time. "Print that."
In response to the change in Nick's legal case, the Reiner family said in a statement to E! News that they "have the utmost trust in the legal process" and added that they "will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."
Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on the afternoon of December 14th. Later that same day, Nick was arrested by the LAPD and charged with the murders on December 16th. At the time, district attorney Nathan Hochman said in a press conference that he would also face a "special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife."
Following their parents' deaths, Nick's siblings, Jake Reiner, 34, and Romy Reiner, 28, as well as half-sister Tracy Reiner—whom Rob shared with ex-wife Penny Marshall—expressed their grief. "Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day," Jake and Romy wrote in a December 17th statement to NBC News. "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." Tracy, for her part, added to NBC News that she "didn't know what to say" following her father's passing, adding, "I came from the greatest family ever."
