Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The son of filmmaker Rob Reiner pleaded not guilty Monday in a Los Angeles court to the murder of his parents.

Published on: 02/23/2026 - 7:21 p.m.

Nick Reiner is accused of murder for this double homicide which shocked Hollywood in December.

The bodies of his father, a renowned filmmaker to whom we owe notably "When Harry Met Sally" and "Men of Honor", and of his mother, Michele Singer Reiner, were found lifeless on December 14, in their villa in the upscale Brentwood district of Los Angeles.

The 78-year-old director and his 70-year-old wife were stabbed to death.

The mental health of their youngest child, who has a history of substance abuse and was diagnosed with schizophrenia several years ago, is likely to be at the center of this case.

He risks life imprisonment, or even the death penalty, because it is not formally abolished in California - the Democratic state has only established a moratorium on capital executions since 2019.

At this stage, it is common to plead not guilty regardless of the strategy chosen by the defense next. Nick Reiner was denied bail and will remain in custody before appearing in court again on April 29.

This hearing was supposed to take place in January, but it was postponed because his lawyer, Alan Jackson, had withdrawn from representing him.

This decision is motivated by “circumstances beyond our control” then explained the council, renowned in Hollywood for having defended Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

The lawyer, however, clarified that he was “legally and ethically” prohibited from explaining his withdrawal. But he wanted to share his analysis of the case and assured that “Nick Reiner was not guilty of murder”.

Instead, the court appointed a court-appointed lawyer to represent him.

Nick Reiner lived in an outbuilding on his parents' property. The day before the murders, he allegedly disrupted a party organized by comedian Conan O'Brien, where he was invited with his parents, according to American media.

The son and his father had a violent argument there, according to the same source.

According to a source close to the family told the New York Times, the Reiner couple were to have dinner with former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on the day of the tragedy, and appeared to have made an appointment for a massage that day.

A masseur then went to their home, and having no response, he contacted their daughter, Romy Reiner, according to the newspaper. She was the one who discovered her father's body, before paramedics found her mother's body.

Police arrested Nick Reiner several miles from the crime scene later that night.

© 2026 AFP

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