Nick Reiner murder indictment adds lying-in-wait allegation
A grand jury indictment alleges Nick Reiner murdered his parents and lets prosecutors bypass a public preliminary hearing.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
A Los Angeles County grand jury has returned a Nick Reiner murder indictment accusing him of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, director Rob Reiner and photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner.
The indictment was unsealed Wednesday, Aug. 12, and Reiner, 32, entered a not-guilty plea, according to The Associated Press report published by ABC7. The charges and allegations against him have not been proven in court.
The grand jury returned the indictment on July 20, AP reported. It replaces the original murder case filed in 2025 and moves the prosecution toward trial without the public preliminary hearing that had been expected, NBC Los Angeles reported.
What charges are in Nick Reiner's indictment?
According to NBC Los Angeles, the indictment alleges two first-degree murder counts and special circumstances of multiple murders, lying in wait and use of a deadly weapon. The lying-in-wait allegation says Reiner allegedly waited for or concealed himself from the victims in order to ambush them, AP reported.
The unsealed document does not say how or why prosecutors allege he was lying in wait, and authorities have not publicly identified a motive, according to AP. An allegation in an indictment is an accusation from prosecutors, not a finding of guilt.
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were stabbed to death at their Brentwood home in December 2025, AP reported. Nick Reiner was previously charged in the case.
Why does the indictment change the case?
In California, prosecutors may use a grand jury instead of a preliminary hearing to establish that a criminal case can proceed to trial. A preliminary hearing would normally put some evidence and testimony into public view; the grand-jury process takes place in secret, AP reported.
NBC Los Angeles said the special-circumstance allegations could affect the potential penalty if Reiner were convicted, including a possible life-without-parole sentence. AP reported that prosecutors had not decided whether to seek the death penalty.
Reiner is due back in Los Angeles court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 15, NBC Los Angeles reported. His appointed attorney, Los Angeles deputy public defender Kimberly Greene, did not comment on the day of the indictment, according to the outlet.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.