LOS ANGELES — Nick Reiner, the man accused of murdering his parents, beloved director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, briefly appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday as his case inched closer to trial.
Reiner wore a jail outfit that included a yellow shirt and blue pants during a minuteslong hearing in front of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta.
Reiner’s court-appointed defense lawyer, Kimberly Greene, asked for another date to set a preliminary hearing and said her side is still waiting for prosecutors to turn over more evidence.
Ohta ordered him back to court on Sept. 15, when another date could be set for his preliminary hearing.
Ohta asked Reiner whether he understood why his preliminary hearing was being delayed, and Reiner answered, "Yeah."
Reiner, 32, has been charged with two counts of murder in connection to the slayings of Rob Reiner, 78, the director renowned for his movies about American life, and photographer and movie producer Michele Singer Reiner, 70.
For the younger Reiner to stand trial, prosecutors would need to present witnesses and enough evidence for Ohta to bind him over for trial.
The date of the preliminary hearing won't be set any earlier than Sept. 15.
The case includes special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and using a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife, both of which could increase any possible penalty if he's convicted.
He pleaded not guilty in February and waived his right to a speedy trial.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said he's considering seeking the death penalty, though California Gov. Gavin Newsom instituted a moratorium on the practice in 2019 through an executive order.
Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia several years ago, and his medication was changed or adjusted at some point before his parents were killed, three sources with direct knowledge of the case have told NBC News.
The sources added that he was being treated for a serious psychiatric disorder when his parents were murdered at their home in Los Angeles on Dec. 14.
The pair were found dead in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood that afternoon. Reiner was arrested that night in Los Angeles' University Park neighborhood near the University of Southern California.
Last week, brother Jake Reiner, 34, published a Substack essay about how his parents' deaths have been a "living nightmare."
“They should be enjoying the rest of their lives peacefully while growing older together," he wrote. "Instead, that was ripped away from them, from me, from [my sister] Romy, and there was nothing we could do about it.”
Leah Nagy and Madeline Morrison reported from Los Angeles and David K. Li from New York City.
