No Death Penalty for Nick Reiner in Parents' Murder Case, DA Announces
LA County DA Nathan Hochman confirmed prosecutors will not seek capital punishment for Nick Reiner, charged with killing his parents Rob and Michele Reiner.
Death Penalty Off the Table for Nick Reiner in Double Murder Case
Los Angeles County prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Nick Reiner, 33, who faces two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, NPR National reports.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the decision at a press briefing Tuesday morning. "After a careful and thorough review of all these factors, the district attorney's office will not be seeking the death penalty in this case," Hochman said, adding that his office conducted a "rigorous review" weighing both aggravating and mitigating factors before reaching the conclusion.
Hochman said the decision followed consultations with law enforcement and with Nick Reiner's siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner. The siblings' wishes were taken into consideration in the process, according to Hochman.
If convicted, Nick Reiner now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A Los Angeles County grand jury indicted Reiner in July on two counts of first-degree murder. He was first charged last December, two days after the fatal attack on his parents at their Los Angeles home. The indictment also includes a special allegation that he was "lying in wait" at the time of the killings.
At a separate pre-trial hearing on Tuesday — focused on whether grand jury indictment transcripts should be unsealed — Hochman read statements on behalf of Jake and Romy Reiner. The siblings asked that the transcripts remain sealed, citing the risk of further trauma.
Hochman indicated the volume of discovery material and ongoing legal proceedings mean a trial is unlikely to begin before next year.
"The brutal murders of Rob and Michele Reiner are ones that will never leave us," Hochman said. "We will be presenting the evidence that we believe will convict Nick Reiner beyond a reasonable doubt of all the charges."
On Monday evening, Rob Reiner was honored at the Emmy Awards with a special tribute presented by actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Reiner had posthumously won an Emmy earlier this month for an appearance on the television series The Bear.
Source: NPR National