Last Updated:January 08, 2026, 03:15 IST

Nick Reiner, on the verge of tears, appears in court with a shaved head for arraignment over the murders of his parents in Brentwood, Los Angeles.

Nick Reiner is facing two first-degree murder charges for the deaths of his parents.
(Photo Credit : X)

Nick Reiner appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, Jan. 7, with a newly shaved head as he faced arraignment on murder charges in the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. The couple was found dead in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14, 2025.

The 32-year-old wore a khaki jumpsuit and displayed a five o’clock shadow as he arrived with attorney Alan Jackson. His hands were cuffed as he sat through the hearing, appearing on the verge of tears. During the proceedings, Jackson withdrew from the case, and Nick was reassigned a public defender. He waived his right to complete the arraignment, and the court rescheduled the proceedings for Feb. 23.

Nick Reiner No Longer on Suicide Watch

Prior to the hearing, PEOPLE confirmed on Jan. 5 that Nick was removed from suicide watch at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. He had been placed under heightened supervision when he entered the jail system on Dec. 15 and had been held in solitary confinement since his arrest.

In confinement, he is required to wear a standard jail-issued shirt and blue pants. The suicide-prevention smock he wore during his initial court appearance on Dec. 17 has been removed, marking a shift in his jail conditions.

Nick faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents, director Rob, 78, and photographer Michele, 70. The L.A. County Medical Examiner confirmed the couple died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman is pursuing the case with “special circumstances,” potentially making Nick eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.

Background on Family and Mental Health

In the years leading up to their deaths, welfare-check calls were made to the Reiners’ Brentwood home, including incidents in 2019 when Nick was living there. He had been receiving treatment for schizophrenia, a mental illness characterized by psychosis but considered treatable with proper care, according to psychiatrist Dr. Molly “Mary” Conlon.

Rob and Michele Reiner married in 1989 after meeting while Rob was directing When Harry Met Sally…. The couple had three children together: Nick, Jake, 34, and Romy, 28. Rob also has a daughter, Tracey, 61, from his first marriage to the late actress Penny Marshall.