A Los Angeles County grand jury has indicted Nick Reiner for the murder of his father, Rob Reiner, and mother, Michele Singer Reiner, adding a new allegation that he lay in wait before the attack.
A Los Angeles County grand jury has indicted 32-year-old Nick Reiner for the murder of his parents, actor and director Rob Reiner and photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner. The indictment includes a key new allegation: that the son lay in wait before attacking them, according to CNN.
The jury, which met in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, 2026, and it was unsealed on Wednesday, August 12, when Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty. The indictment charges murder, and the allegation of lying in wait, along with other circumstances, makes him eligible for the death penalty, although prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek it.
According to court documents obtained by E! News, the indictment alleges that the 32-year-old "personally used a deadly or dangerous weapon," in this case a knife, to commit the murders. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman added in a statement on August 12: "The indictment unsealed today also adds the special circumstance that the defendant committed the murders by lying in wait."
Rob Reiner, a Hollywood icon known for directing films such as "When Harry Met Sally" and "The Princess Bride," and his wife Michele were fatally stabbed in their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 14, 2025. Nick Reiner was arrested a few hours after the murders and charged two days later, on December 16.
The grand jury indictment represents a major step toward trial because it allows prosecutors to bypass California's preliminary hearing process, where evidence is presented publicly. The case has so far been shrouded in secrecy, and the unsealed indictment reveals only a few new details.
After the indictment was unsealed, Nick pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder with special circumstances of multiple murders and murder by lying in wait, according to the district attorney. He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a knife, a dangerous and deadly weapon. If convicted on the indictment, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. The decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made later. According to the statement, he is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on September 15.
The indictment does not specify how or why Reiner lay in wait. It also states that he used a knife in the murders, which authorities had previously confirmed. Many fundamental questions about the crime remain publicly unanswered: prosecutors have said nothing about possible motives, and there has been virtually no leak of information in the case from either side.
"This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of murdering. We hope that the grand jury's indictment in this case brings us closer to trial and achieving justice," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman in a statement carried by the AP.
In the months before the indictment, Nick filed a request for access to a million-dollar trust fund established by his parents for him to cover legal expenses. In documents filed on June 8, obtained by E!, he requested a portion of the trust, claiming that his parents left "unambiguous instructions" that a portion of the fund be paid to him after he turned 30. "Nick loved his parents and is devastated by their death," the documents stated.
The Los Angeles County chief medical examiner told the AP that he would like to publicly release the autopsy reports, but a court order currently prevents him from doing so. The Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, which represents Reiner, declined to comment on the indictment.
