Nick Reiner's siblings played key role in death penalty decision ahead of Rob and Michele Reiner murder trial
The Los Angeles County District Attorney has confirmed they spoke to Nick Reiner's siblings ahead of their announcement that they will not seek the death penalty.
Nick, 33, is accused of killing his parents, filmmaker Rob and photographer Michele Reiner, and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He remains in custody.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said on Tuesday (15 September) that prosecutors had conducted a 'rigorous review' of the case and confirmed Nick now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, rather than the death penalty, if convicted.
Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, were found dead inside their Brentwood home in Los Angeles in December 2025, both having suffered multiple sharp-force injuries, with authorities investigating the deaths as a homicide.
Advert
Their son Nick was arrested hours later, around 14 miles from the scene, after police linked him to the murders.
The initial charges against him included the special circumstance of multiple murders and an allegation that a knife had been used as a deadly weapon.
The case later went before a grand jury, which indicted Nick on two counts of first-degree murder and added an allegation of lying in wait.
"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 told reporters outside of court.
"That means that the maximum sentence that Mr Reiner will be looking at is life without the possibility of parole."
He added: "We did speak with Nick Reiner’s siblings [and] they made their views very clear. We considered their views in ultimately deciding not to seek the death penalty."
Following the announcement, Kimberly Greene - Nick's lawyer, a Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender - told E! News she was 'pleased to see the District Attorney’s Office make the right decision not to seek the death penalty in this case'.
Greene continued: "Nick has a serious mental illness and a long history of struggling with self-medicating.
"His circumstances are a tragic example of how difficult it can be for people experiencing significant mental health challenges to access and navigate the treatment and support they need."
The hearing lasted less than five minutes, also addressing whether grand jury transcripts should remain sealed.
Jake and Romy Reiner have expressed a strong desire for the transcripts to stay private, with Hochman saying they believe releasing details and evidence from their parents' deaths would cause them 'additional trauma and harm'.
A judge is still expected to decide whether the transcripts can be released.
The case is expected to go to trial, although prosecutors have indicated that this is unlikely to happen until 2027.
Nick's siblings have spoken publicly about the devastating aftermath, with Jake opening up about the loss of his parents and the impact of Nick's arrest in an interview earlier this year.
"He's in jail," the 35-year-old said. "It's like, I physically lost my parents, and then Nick was arrested. Now it's just me and Romy, and we have to navigate this by ourselves essentially."
He also described the anger he has experienced following the deaths, admitting: "It manifests into rage, into how unfair this was, how I didn't get a say in what happened.
"I didn't get to stop it from happening. I had no choice in the matter."
Despite the allegations against his brother, Jake has also spoken about the relationship his parents had with Nick and their attempts to support him.
"I don't care how it's explained to me, I don't care what facts come out. I will never understand why this happened," he said.
Rhianna Benson