Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and police chief Jim McDonnell held a news conference on Tuesday to detail the case involving the killings of director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.
Hochman announced that his office was charging Nick Reiner on two counts of first-degree murder, with a special circumstance of multiple murders.
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 at this point has been made with respect to the death penalty, Hochman added.
“Charges are not evidence,” Hochman said. “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.”
Hochman said the charges against Reiner would be officially filed later on Tuesday. Reiner will be brought to court to be arraigned on the charges once he is medically cleared.
Hochman cautioned the public against rumours and hearsay about the case, saying, “There is a good chance you are hearing misinformation.”
“If it doesn’t come from the district attorney’s office, from LAPD, from the coroner’s office or from the courtroom itself, then there is a good chance you are hearing misinformation,” he added.
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“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.”
“This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal,” McDonnell added.
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.
His next court date was set for Dec. 16 but his lawyer, Alan Jackson, told The New York Times that there would not be a hearing as his client “had not been medically cleared to be transferred from jail to the courthouse.”
The situation is “day to day” on when Nick will appear, Jackson told CNN.
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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